I’m convinced you just about won’t find a proper party, reception, shower or tea in the South that doesn’t have sausage balls on the menu. It’s just part of the culture. While there are a few variations of the classic recipe – those with cream cheese are my favorite – you usually just see a few standard ingredients: breakfast sausage, baking mix (like Bisquick) and cheddar cheese.
Well, the other day while I was brainstorming some ideas, my sweet wife said, “What if you added pizza flavors to sausage balls?” I rolled it around in my head a bit and set out to the test kitchen to see what I could create. These Pizza Sausage Balls were the result … and, boy, are they delicious.
I started with a solid base recipe but swapped the breakfast sausage for some ground Italian sausage. I added some minced pepperoni, cream cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. I also swapped the classic cheddar cheese for some mozzarella and Parmesan. To top them off right, I dipped them in some warm pizza sauce. Y’all, these things are seriously delicious. As my great-grandmother would say, these things are “liable to make your tongue slap your brains out.”
They’re perfect in nearly any place that you’d serve the standard version, but are super fun with the addition of the sauce. I really think y’all are going to love them! Enjoy.
Pizza Sausage Balls
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 40 balls
Ingredients
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package pepperoni
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups baking mix (like Bisquick)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (not grated)
- Prepared pizza sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a few sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Use a food processor or small food chopper to chop the pepperoni into tiny pieces.
- Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, chopped pepperoni, sausage, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
- Add the baking mix and mix to combine. Add the cheese and mix to combine.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- I like to use a cookie scoop to keep them uniform.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve alongside some warm pizza sauce for dipping.
This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.”
