Stuffing Balls
Let’s be real, if there isn’t stuffing at on your roast dinner spread, what you’re eating is not a roast dinner. There’s a few ‘non-negotiables’ for me when it comes to a roast and stuffing is one of them. Alrighty, that’s my food snobbery out the way, let’s come down to earth. Mum if you’re reading this I’m sorry for exposing you, but growing up our version of stuffing was the stuff straight from the packet. You know the one, tastes kind of like carpet 🤣 We did progress on to the Aunt Bessies sausage meat stuffing balls, but that’s where it stopped. Anywho, my point is even at its worst, stuffing is still incredible (yes I like the taste of carpet). Through the years I’ve tweaked my stuffing recipe and today it’s time to release it to the world. Hello sausage stuffing balls!
What’s the difference between stuffing balls and meatballs?
Most stuffing ball recipes actually don’t use meat, but I couldn’t help myself. Here’s the main two distinctions between these stuffing balls and regular sausage meatballs:
Bread – A lot of meatball recipes do use breadcrumbs, but these stuffing balls use much more than you usually would. Stuffing in general is quite bread heavy, and these stuffing balls mimic that same texture. Apple – The stuffing balls have grated apple through them, which adds a gorgeous bit of sweetness. Pork and apple is a match made in heaven and these balls celebrate just that!
Sage & Onion Sausage Stuffing
The main flavouring in these stuffing balls is sage and onion. Mainly because that’s the classic stuffing flavour, but equally because it goes so beautifully with sausage too. Alongside the sage and onion, I love adding a pinch of nutmeg. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it does add a very subtle background flavour. A festive spark if you will!
What type of breadcrumbs to use?
You’ll want to use fresh breadcrumbs for this recipe. This gives a far softer texture as opposed to dried or Panko breadcrumbs. To make the breadcrumbs just pulse bread slices in a food processor, or dice them into cubes as small as you can.
Soaking the breadcrumbs
Contrary to popular belief, bread actually makes the sausage balls softer & juicier, because it soaks up and clings onto the moisture released by the stuffing. A vital step to help along with this is soaking the breadcrumbs in grated onion & apple before you mix in the meat. Kind of like a panade. Process shots: add grated garlic, onion & apple and breadcrumbs to a bowl (photo 1), mash with a fork and allow bread to soak up moisture (photo 2), add in sausage meat, sage, nutmeg and seasoning (photo 3), combine then begin scooping out meat (photo 4).
Baked Sausage Stuffing Balls
The quickest and easiest method to making the stuffing balls is individually scooping out all the meat, then rolling one by one from there (see photo below). The best cooking method by far is oven baking. This gives you the perfect ratio of browning on the outside, whilst leaving the stuffing balls ultra soft in the centre.
Can I pan fry these?
Because of the high bread content I don’t recommend pan frying these as you run the risk of them sticking to the pan.
Can I prep these ahead of time?
Yep! Just make up until the point of baking and tightly cover in the fridge or freezer (more on this in the recipe card).
Can I fully make these ahead of time?
You can, but they do tend to dry out slightly as they rest/reheat. Don’t waste leftovers though, you can store in the fridge/freezer and reheat (more on this in the recipe card). Process shots: place chunks of meat on chopping board (photo 1), roll into balls (photo 2), transfer to baking tray (photo 3), spray with oil then bake (photo 4).
Serving Sausage Stuffing Balls
As I mentioned earlier, I usually serve these as part of a roast dinner spread. You could however stick some toothpicks in them and serve as an appetizer. I recommend a side dip of cranberry sauce or gravy! For more festive goodness check out my Cranberry, Sage & Turkey Meatballs! For more similar recipes check out these beauties too:
Roast Dinner Recipes
Easy Yorkshire Puddings Goose Fat Roast Potatoes Pigs in Blankets Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese Bread Sauce Classic Sage and Onion Stuffing
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these sausage stuffing meatballs shall we?!
How to make Sausage Stuffing Balls (Full Recipe & Video)
If you loved this Sausage Stuffing Balls Recipe then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
