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Sausage Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Sausage stuffing bites baked at 375°F until golden and crisp outside, with tender, evenly moistened stuffing inside. Serve with a warm cranberry dipping sauce simmered smooth with orange juice and Dijon for an easy snack-time pairing.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and form the stuffing bites
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment for easy release.
  2. Brown the breakfast sausage with the diced small onion and diced celery stalks for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
  3. Drain excess fat and cool the sausage mixture slightly so the eggs don’t set too early.
  4. Stir in the herb stuffing mix, warm chicken broth, beaten large eggs, shredded Parmesan, and chopped fresh sage until moist and evenly combined.
  5. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them on the prepared sheet pan.
Bake and make the cranberry dip
  1. Bake the stuffing balls at 375°F for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp on the outside (look for browning at the edges).
  2. Warm the whole berry cranberry sauce with orange juice and Dijon mustard until smooth, stirring until the texture turns glossy and pourable.
  3. Serve the sausage stuffing bites warm alongside the cranberry dipping sauce for dunking.

Notes

For the crispiest exterior, don’t skip draining excess sausage fat, and keep the sausage mixture only slightly warm before mixing in the eggs. Store leftover bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat at 350°F until hot and lightly crisp. Freezing: freeze baked bites in a single layer, then bag, for up to 2 months and reheat from frozen. Dietary swap: use chicken sausage (or plant-based sausage) in place of breakfast sausage for a different flavor profile while keeping the same method.