Grandma's Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Balls. With just a few ingredients, these tasty meatballs are an easy to make and delicious appetizer. Combine pork sausage, cheddar cheese, Bisquick, onions and parsley for an irresistible snack for your next party, tailgate, or anytime you are craving a savory nibble.
Sausage cheese balls are a staple at our family's Christmas day celebration. We skip the traditional sit down dinner in favor of a big spread of snacks including Roast Beef Crostini, BLT Bites, Deviled Eggs with Dill Pickles, and Antipasto Skewers.
My stepmom (aka Grandma Pat) whips up a BIG batch of these super tasty balls, and they are one of the first appetizers to disappear.
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Ingredients & substitutions
- pork sausage ~ My favorite sausage for the meatballs is the fresh pork sausage roll typically served for breakfast. The recipe calls for a combination of both regular and hot sausage. I use this bulk breakfast sausage or Jimmy Dean pork sausage in a tube for the regular sausage. And I use this Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage in a tube.
- sharp cheddar cheese ~ The tang and bite of sharp cheddar cheese gives the sausage cheese balls just the right zing of flavor.
- Bisquick ~ Pick up this pre-mixed baking mix in the baking aisle of the grocery store.
- onion ~ Yellow onion give a flavor boost to the meatballs.
- parsley ~ This fresh herb brightens and balances out the savory flavor of the meatballs.
- oil ~ Use olive, vegetable or canola to grease the foil so the sausage cheese balls are easy to remove from the baking sheet.
- dipping sauces ~ It's always fun to dunk meatballs in sauces. Try my Fresh Basil Hummus, Cilantro Lime Dressing, ranch dip or blue cheese dip.
How to make sausage balls
- Prep the baking sheet ~ Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly grease with oil.
- Mix the ingredients ~ In a large bowl, combine the pork sausage, cheddar cheese, Bisquick, onion and parsley.
- Roll into balls ~ Form meatballs with a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture.
- Place balls on baking sheet ~ There is no need to space these out on the pan.
- Bake in oven ~ Cook the balls until golden brown.
- Serve ~ Dunk in your favorite dipping sauce and serve with cut up veggies.
Can you make sausage cheese balls in advance?
YES! These delicious savory meatballs can be made in advance and stored before baking or after they are already baked.
- Unbaked sausage cheese balls ~ Follow the steps to make the meatballs, but do not bake them. Store unbaked sausage balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Alternately, flash freeze the balls on a baking sheet and store in a resealable bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove from the balls from the refrigerator or freezer and place on the prepared baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Baked sausage cheese balls ~ Follow the steps to make the meatballs and bake. Cool completely. Store baked sausage balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Alternately, flash freeze the balls on a baking sheet and store in a resealable bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove from the balls from the refrigerator or freezer and place on the prepared baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.
Expert tips
- Line the baking sheet with foil and grease with oil for easy clean up.
- Use a combination of regular and hot or spicy pork sausage the best flavored sausage balls. I use this bulk breakfast sausage or Jimmy Dean pork sausage in a tube.
- Sharp cheddar cheese is my first choice for the tastiest sausage balls. But any semi hard cheese can be substituted in the recipe. Try Gouda, pepper jack, Havarti, colby jack or even mild cheddar.
- To make rolling the sausage cheese balls an easy task, wet your hands with cold water.
- Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the sausage balls. 160 degrees F is the temp you want for perfectly cooked and juicy sausage and cheddar balls.
More appetizer recipes
- Roast Beef Crostini with Horseradish Cream
- Spicy Deviled Eggs with Jalapenos
- Hawaiian Tortilla Pizza with Ham, Bacon and Pineapple
- Easy Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Korean Barbecue Shrimp
One more thing
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment and a star rating below. Share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.
Thanks ~ Amy
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Recipe
Grandma's Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Balls
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 55 meatballs 1x
Description
Grandma's Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Balls. With just a few ingredients, these tasty meatballs are an easy to make and delicious appetizer. Combine pork sausage, cheddar cheese, Bisquick, onions and parsley for an irresistible snack for your next party, tailgate, or anytime you are craving a savory nibble.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- olive, vegetable or canola oil, for greasing baking sheet
- 1 pound regular pork sausage, I use this bulk breakfast sausage or Jimmy Dean pork sausage in a tube.
- 1 pound hot pork sausage, I like Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage in a tube
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, about 3 cups
- 1 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- Fresh Basil Hummus, Cilantro Lime Dressing, ranch dip, blue cheese dip for serving
- carrot and celery sticks, cucumber slices for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and light coat with oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the 2 kinds of pork sausage, cheddar cheese, Bisquick, onion, and parsley. Mix to combine thoroughly.
- Form balls with a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature of the sausage and cheese balls is about 160 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and place on a platter. Serve with your choice of dipping sauce, carrot and celery sticks, and cucumber slices.
Notes
- Line the baking sheet with foil and grease with oil for easy clean up.
- Use a combination of regular and hot or spicy pork sausage the best flavored sausage balls.
- Sharp cheddar cheese is my first choice for the tastiest sausage balls. But any semi hard cheese can be substituted in the recipe. Try Gouda, pepper jack, Havarti, colby jack or even mild cheddar.
- To make rolling the sausage cheese balls an easy task, wet your hands with cold water.
- Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the sausage balls. 160 degrees F is the temp you want for perfectly cooked and juicy sausage and cheddar balls.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: bake in oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 181
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 368 mg
- Fat: 15.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.1 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
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