Cream Cheese Sausage Balls with Bacon

 

Cream cheese sausage balls with bacon are the perfect appetizer to serve at any party or gathering.

The combination of pork sausage, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, biscuit mix, minced onion, cheddar cheese, and fresh crumbled bacon makes a mouthwatering snack or meal.

DISCLAIMER: This post is sponsored by the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association. As always, the opinions are honest and are all my own. 

Sausage Balls Are Great For Holidays

The sausage balls are great for holiday gatherings, office parties, potlucks, picnics, or for snacking.

The recipe is easy to make and packed full of flavor. And, it’s a one-bowl recipe, so it couldn’t be any easier.

This recipe makes about three dozen sausage balls, so you will have plenty to go around–that’s if you have any left to share. They are delish!

I’ve worked with Wisconsin Pork in the past and I’ve always enjoyed sharing the things I like and appreciate about hog farmers.

And, if not for them, we wouldn’t have sausage or bacon–and I could just about live off of those two ingredients.

We love pork around our house, and sausage is one of my favorite ingredients to add to a dish.

My grandfather had a few hogs and made his sausage. I don’t think I appreciated it as much then as I do now. I sure wish I had paid attention!

I can remember him going out behind the barn and feeding them. As kids, my cousin and I would sit on the back of the barn and watch them eat.

The farmers and people in the hog industry work hard to build and keep trust all along the line, including building trust with consumers that enjoy foods like sausage and bacon.

In my grandfather’s day, there wasn’t a lot of technology involved. Now, pork farmers employ a great deal of technology on their farms.

That new technology creates a safer environment for the animals and the food.

Find out more at Porkcares.org

What Ingredients Do You Need For The Sausage Balls Recipe?

• Sausage
• Cream cheese
• Biscuit mix
• Dry ranch seasoning mix
• Dried minced onions
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post.

Step-By-Step Instructions For The Sausage Balls

Start by adding the sausage to a large bowl.

For this recipe, I used my stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer, as well.

I used a sausage roll for the recipe, and you can choose mild, medium, or spicy.

I’m a bit of a spicy wimp, so I chose mild, but my kids like their sausage hot. So, we’ll try spicy next time.

Next, add the softened cream cheese to the bowl.

Pour the biscuit mix, ranch seasoning, and dried minced onion into the bowl.

Add the crumbled bacon to the bowl.

You can use either pre-cooked bacon or cook the bacon at home before adding it to the recipe.

I bought a pack of bacon and cooked it in the microwave and crumbled it up.

We had a terrible time keeping our hands out of it because who doesn’t love bacon? Once you smell bacon, you just can’t say no.

Finally, add the shredded cheddar cheese to the bowl and mix everything together.

Scoop out some sausage mixture and roll it into balls and place them on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

You can easily check the temperature of the sausage with a digital thermometer.

Pork, in general, is finished cooking at 145-degrees. Ground sausage should reach a temperature of 160-degrees before it is completely cooked.

You can see in the picture above that the pork was cooked. If you use a digital thermometer to check the temperature, make sure it doesn’t touch the pan, or you will get an incorrect reading.

Pork.org’s list of correct temperatures

Can the sausage balls be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze the pre-cooked sausage balls and use them when you are ready. Just be sure not to leave them on the counter for too long before cooking.

The cream cheese sausage balls with bacon can also be made a day ahead of time. You can keep them in the fridge and pull them out when you’re ready to cook them.

More Sausage Recipes:

• Black-eyed pea soup with sausage is perfect for those cold winter months.
• Easy southern sausage quiche is a great dish for breakfast.
• Cream cheese dip with sausage is handy for parties, get-togethers, or snacking at home.
• Sausage crescent rolls are easy to make and will feed a large family at breakfast time.

The sausage balls go great with ranch dip, french onion dip, or any type of creamy dip.

Other tasty pork recipes:

• Slow cooker pork chops and gravy is a super easy meal that comes out so tender and delicious.
• Pork chops in the air fryer is another great way to cook dinner. The pork chops are breaded and cooked for a crispy outside and a tender pork chop on the inside.
• Slow cooker pork chops and rice is one of the easiest dinners to make. You can add chicken flavored rice, Spanish rice, white, or brown rice for a variety of flavors.
• Baked pork chops and gravy is another super-fast meal to make that is packed full of flavor.