Garlic Bread Sausage Stuffing Balls
Garlic bread sausage stuffing balls are the perfect side dish. They’re crisp on the outside, packed full of flavour and brushed with garlic butter, like garlic bread!
If you’re looking for an easy side dish to serve at Thanksgiving, Christmas or a Sunday roast dinner, these garlic bread stuffing balls are the perfect choice! They’re inspired by classic sage and onion stuffing balls but are flavoured like garlic bread, with a glaze that’s made with a simple garlic and herb butter. Shop bought’s got nothing on these homemade stuffing balls!
You only need a few ingredients to make your own homemade stuffing balls and they come together in no time all. Plus you can make them a day ahead of time, so they’re perfect for the holidays. Using good quality sausage meat is key with this dish and this recipe makes a great base for adding other flavourings. I kept things simple with some dried sage, fried onion and garlic but you could add dried fruit, black pudding, caramelised onions or bacon…
For more side dishes to try, take a look at our collection of sides! And for a main course to serve with these stuffing balls, check out our ever growing collection of Thanksgiving recipes and Christmas recipes.
Ingredients For Garlic Bread Sausage Stuffing Balls
- Sausage Meat – Using good quality pork sausage meat makes all the difference with homemade stuffing! I’d recommend visiting your local butcher.
- Breadcrumbs – I use brioche breadcrumbs for my stuffing balls but any soft white bread will work. I’d avoid ready made breadcrumbs as they tend to be dried and you’ll need fresh for this recipe.
- Garlic – Garlic is added to the sausage meat stuffing mix and the garlic butter that’s brushed on top.
- Onion – Brown or white onions work best for this style of stuffing. Shallots will work too.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter for the garlic butter but salted will work instead. You’ll just need to omit the extra added salt.
- Dried Sage – Sage and onion stuffing is a classic, so I flavoured my stuffing with some dried sage. Feel free to leave this out if you’d prefer though.
How To Make Garlic Bread Sausage Stuffing Balls
We’ve given homemade stuffing balls a serious upgrade by flavouring them like garlic bread! They’re super easy to make, take very little time to prepare and can rolled a day in advance. You can’t go wrong really!
1. Sausage Meat Stuffing Mix
This sausage meat stuffing is made with a mix of pork sausage meat, white breadcrumbs, cooked onion, garlic and dried sage. First, you need to gently cook finely diced onion in a small amount of oil and butter for around 10 minutes, until soft. Then you add in grated garlic, cook for another minute then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely. This is key – the onion can’t be warm when you add it to the sausage meat!
Then it’s just a case of adding all the ingredients into a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper then mixing well by hand, to combine. I like to fry a small amount of the mix off at this point, to give it a taste then adjust the seasoning as needed.
2. Shaping and Rolling
Next, divide the stuffing mix into 12 equal portions then roll into balls with your hands. I’d recommend weighing out the portions, so that the stuffing balls cook evenly. Each portion should weigh around 60 grams.
Once shaped, place the stuffing balls onto a lined baking tray then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day ahead of time. A short chill helps the stuffing balls help hold their shape as they bake and you can preheat your oven in the meantime!
3. Baking
These homemade stuffing balls take 20-25 minutes to bake at 200°c/392°f. You’ll know when they are cooked, when the internal temperature reaches 75°c/167°f and the outside of each stuffing ball is crisp and golden brown.
4. Brushing With Garlic Butter
Whilst the stuffing balls are cooking, you’ll need to make a quick homemade garlic butter by mixing melted butter with a grated garlic clove, finely chopped parsley and a pinch of sea salt. Then as soon as the stuffing balls come out of the oven, brush each one with a generous amount of garlic butter then serve!
Serving Garlic Bread Stuffing Balls
I developed this stuffing recipe with Thanksgiving, Christmas and a classic Sunday roast in mind. They’re essentially a sage and onion stuffing ball with garlic butter brushed over them, so will work with pretty much any roasted meat, whether that’s turkey, prime rib, chicken, pork with crackling or slow cooked lamb. You could even serve stuffing balls in a sandwich with leftover roasted meat.
Stuffing Tips and Tricks
- For the best flavour, use good quality sausage meat. I’d recommend visiting your local butcher.
- Fry a small amount of the stuffing mix before shaping and cooking, so you can taste the mix and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Let your stuffing balls chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking, so they hold their shape in the oven.
- Use a digital food probe to check the internal temperature of the stuffing. As this type contains sausage meat, the internal temperature needs to reach 75°c/167°f to be cooked through.
- Brush your baked stuffing balls with homemade garlic butter, for extra flavour!
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook sausage stuffing balls in an Aga, bake them in the roasting oven, on the bottom set of runners. Use the simmering plate to cook the onions and garlic.
Garlic bread sausage stuffing balls are best cooked within 1 day of being rolled. Leftover stuffing balls will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be served hot or cold.
To reheat leftover stuffing balls, bake them in an oven set to 170°c/338°f for 15-20 minutes, until piping hot. The internal temperature needs to be at least 75°c/167°f.
Yes, you can absolutely freeze stuffing balls and they’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To stop the stuffing balls from sticking together, it’s best to freeze them on a tray then transfer to an airtight container or resealable food bag once frozen. You’ll need to let your stuffing balls defrost in the fridge before baking them.
Any soft white bread will work for homemade stuffing. I use brioche but a white sandwich loaf or bloomer will work too.
More Easy Side Dishes To Try
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato Casserole
- Garlic & Parmesan Creamed Corn
- Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese
- Honey Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
- Black Garlic Roast Potatoes
- Tangzhong Dinner Rolls
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Garlic Bread Sausage Stuffing Balls
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Saucepan
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 2 Brown Onions (Peeled)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 30 g Unsalted Butter
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Peeled)
- 500 g Pork Sausage Meat
- 100 g Brioche (Or Soft White Bread)
- ½ tsp Dried Sage
Garlic Butter
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Parsley
Instructions
Stuffing
- First, finely dice the brown onions. Then add the vegetable oil and butter into a small saucepan, set over a medium-low heat then add in the onions once the butter's melted.
- Season the onions with a pinch of salt then cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Then add in the grated garlic, cook for another minute then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely.The onions need to be completely cold before they're added to the sausage meat.
- In the meantime, add the brioche into a food processor and blitz to make coarse breadcrumbs.
- Next, add the sausage meat, breadcrumbs, cooled onions and the dried sage into a large mixing bowl then season with salt & pepper and mix well by hand, to combine.
- Take a small piece of the stuffing mix, make a small patty with it then fry in a saucepan, to cook through. Give the cooked stuffing a taste to check the seasoning then add in more salt & pepper into the mix as needed.
- Divide the stuffing mix into 12 equal portions, rolling each one into a ball with your hands. Each should weigh around 60g. Once shaped, place the stuffing balls onto a lined baking tray then store in the fridge until you're ready to cook them (or at least 30 minutes).
- Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Lightly drizzle the stuffing balls with vegetable oil then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. The internal temperature of the stuffing needs to be at least 75°c/167°f.
- Whilst your stuffing is cooking, make the garlic butter. To do this, melt the butter either in a bowl in the microwave or in a small pan over a low heat. Then stir in the garlic, followed by the chopped parsley and a pinch of salt. Set to one side until your stuffing is cooked.
- Once cooked, brush each stuffing ball with a generous amount of garlic butter then serve.
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