Jalapeño Popper Sausage Balls Recipe

If you're anything like recipe developer Erin Johnson, then you've enjoyed a good sausage ball or two as an appetizer or potluck dish. "Sausage balls were present at almost every party I went to growing up," Johnson explains, adding that her jalapeño-infused rendition "combine[s] that nostalgic treat with the flavors of jalapeño poppers." So, we're not just talking about the addition of jalapeños here — you can also count on bursts of cream cheese and shredded cheddar with every bite, not to mention Bisquick to help hold it all together. 

Naturally, these sausage balls make for a great appetizer. You could easily pluck one up with a toothpick or fork, or just use your fingers to pop that jalapeño popper right into your mouth. That said, because these meatballs are made with breakfast sausage, they're also a great side dish next to a stack of pancakes or freshly-scrambled eggs. Imagine starting your day like that!

As the name of this recipe suggests, you'll need both jalapeños and sausage. You'll need four of the little green peppers, and be sure to finely (and carefully) chop them up before beginning. As for the sausage, Johnson uses a pound of plain breakfast pork sausage, though she does note that "If you want more heat, you can use spicy breakfast sausage."

It wouldn't be a jalapeño popper-inspired recipe without some cheesy goodness, so you'll need a block of cream cheese and shredded cheddar. To round out the sausage balls, you'll need Bisquick and possibly some milk. There's a chance that you won't need the full amount of milk (or any at all), depending on how dry your batter is, so it's a good idea to have some on standby just in case.

Get your oven preheating to 350 F, then turn your focus to the ingredients themselves. In a large mixing bowl, add the sausage, Bisquick, cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and diced jalapeño. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together until you have one large cohesive sausage ball. 

If your sausage batter is too dry, begin adding 1 tablespoon of milk at a time. "I find that the amount (if any) milk you need varies based on the brand of sausage," Johnson explains. "If all the Bisquick easily works into the sausage, you can omit." You may need to add up to ¼ cup of milk — just be sure that your sausage ball batter doesn't end up too liquidy. 

Once your sausage batter is ready to go, you can begin forming it into balls. First, grab a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Then, work the sausage mixture into bite-sized balls, placing them on the sheet as you go. "I use a cookie scoop to keep all the balls uniform in size, but you can also use a spoon or eyeball it," Johnson notes.

With all the sausage balls laid out on the sheet, go ahead and pop them in the oven for 25 minutes. They should be browned when they come out of the oven, which is how you can tell that they're cooked through. 

Dive right into these jalapeño popper sausage balls — and, ideally, do it while they're still warm and juicy from the oven. These sausage balls pack plenty of flavor on their own, but you could up the cheese ante and pair them with cheese sauce for extra savory goodness. 

Because this recipe yields quite a few sausage balls — 40, to be exact — there's a good chance you'll have leftovers unless you're hosting a crowd. that's no problem, as Johnson notes, "These keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat well."