Go Back

Sausage Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Sausage stuffing bites with cranberry dipping sauce: golden, crispy 1 1/2-inch stuffing balls baked at 375F and served with a glossy warm whole-berry cranberry dip. The sausage-broth-egg mixture bakes up moist inside with a crisp outside.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Breakfast sausage
  • 1 lb breakfast sausage
Vegetables and stuffing base
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 1 box (6 oz) herb stuffing mix
  • 1 cup chicken broth, warm
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 0.5 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
Cranberry dipping sauce
  • 1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and line pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a sheet pan with parchment for easy release and browning.
Brown sausage and aromatics
  1. Brown breakfast sausage with finely diced onion and finely diced celery for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up until cooked and aromatic, then drain excess fat and cool slightly.
Mix stuffing mixture
  1. Stir in herb stuffing mix, warm chicken broth, beaten large eggs, shredded Parmesan, and chopped fresh sage until moist and evenly combined.
Shape and bake
  1. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them on the prepared sheet pan with space between.
  2. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp on the outside, with an even bake across the batch.
Warm cranberry dipping sauce
  1. Warm whole berry cranberry sauce with orange juice and Dijon mustard until smooth, stirring until glossy and dip-ready.
  2. Serve the cranberry sauce alongside the sausage stuffing bites for dunking while the bites are hot.

Notes

For the crispiest outside, cool the sausage slightly before mixing so the eggs set correctly in the oven rather than scrambling. Store leftover bites in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat on a sheet pan at 350F until hot and re-crisped. The cranberry sauce keeps refrigerated up to 5 days and can be reheated gently. Freezing: freeze baked bites up to 2 months and reheat from frozen. Dietary swap: use a gluten-free herb stuffing mix box if you need gluten-free bites.