easy sausagemeat stuffing balls with cranberry, chestnut & sage

Our quick and easy sausagemeat stuffing balls are flavoured with cranberry, chestnut, sage and onion, a must make side dish for any roast dinner.

No Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is complete without chestnut and sausagemeat stuffing and our easy sausagemeat stuffing balls are not only quick to make, but taste amazing too.

For us a celebratory dinner is all about those all important trimmings sage and onion stuffing with sausagemeat, pigs in blankets, oatmeal stuffing and a mountain of vegetables all smothered of course in lashings of gravy.

Our easy sausage meat stuffing balls are really simple to prepare and taste amazing. We like to make these sausagemeat balls roughly the size of a golf ball and our recipe makes 12 portions.

What sausage meat should I use for stuffing?

You can either buy a pack of pork sausagemeat or do as we have done here and buy pork link sausages. If using link sausages, simply remove the skin from the sausage before adding the breadcrumb mix.

Use any flavour pork sausage that you like, whatever variety you enjoy eating. We used a plain pork sausage as we wanted to add in our own flavours of chestnut, cranberry, sage and onion.

How to make sausagemeat stuffing – recipe steps:

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• Prepare your ingredients.
• Place a small frying pan over a medium heat and gently saute the onions in the butter and sunflower oil.
• Cook the onions until they have softened and are starting to colour.

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• Meanwhile chop the chestnuts, cranberries and sage.
• Add to the onion mixture in the pan and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes.

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• Add the breadcrumbs to the onion mixture, give everything a good stir to combine and take off the heat.
• OPTIONAL STEP: you can add the breadcrumb and onion mix to a small blender and pulse to form a fine crumb. This step is entirely optional and depends on the desired texture you are looking for in the finished stuffing ball.

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• Place the sausagemeat into a large bowl (remove the skins if using link sausages), add in the breadcrumbs and give everything a good mix with your hands. Ensure that the crumb is well distributed through the sausagemeat.
• Now roll the stuffing into golf ball sized portions and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180CFan/200C for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Recipe substitutions and variations:

• Pork sausagemeat forms the basis of this stuffing. You can use a pack of pork sausagemeat or link sausages, whichever you prefer. Use any flavour pork sausage that you enjoy eating. If using link sausages just remove the skin before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
• Whole chestnuts pair beautifully with pork and add a lovely flavour and texture to the stuffing. If you don’t like chestnuts simply leave them out.
• Dried cranberries add a burst of sweetness to the pork meat. You can also substitute with dried apricots if you prefer which also pairs well with pork.
• Fresh sage adds are lovely herbal note to the sausagemeat stuffing mix. If you don’t like sage substitute with thyme or rosemary instead.
• Breadcrumbs are a critical element of the dish as they stop the sausagemeat stuffing balls from drying out. The breadcrumbs absorb the juices from the sausagemeat, trapping them within the stuffing ball and keeping them moist.

Can I make easy sausagemeat stuffing balls ahead of time?

Our easy sausagemeat stuffing balls are a great make ahead dish.

• Fridge: prepare the sausagemeat stuffing mix the day before, roll it into balls, place the balls on a tray and cover with cling film. Place the tray in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow the stuffing balls to come to room temperature.
• Freezing “uncooked” stuffing balls: get even further ahead and freeze the stuffing balls prior to cooking. Simply ensure the stuffing balls are spaced apart on a tray and open freeze them before placing in a storage container in the freezer until needed. Once frozen they will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. ENSURE THE SAUSAGE MEAT HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN FROZEN IF DOING THIS!
• To cook from frozen: simply defrost in the fridge the night before and bake according to the instructions in the recipe card below.
• Freezing “cooked” stuffing balls: once cooked, the sausage stuffing balls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to eat reheat gently in the oven to piping hot before serving.

Useful hints and tips:

1. Alternative serving suggestion: If you don’t want to make individual stuffing balls, place the mixture into a square baking tray or loaf tin instead. You will need to adjust the cooking times depending on the size of your dish to ensure the meat is cooked through.
2. If catering for Coeliacs or anyone following a gluten free diet ensure that you use gluten free sausages and gluten free breadcrumbs.
3. If catering for someone with a nut allergy leave out the chestnuts entirely from the mix.
4. Allergy advice: dairy free, egg free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

This sage and onion stuffing with sausagemeat is perfect addition to the Sunday roast. Try it with:

• Succulent Roast Turkey Crown
• Roast Pork Belly with Crispy Crackling
• Roast Leg of Pork with Bacon & Cranberries
• Pork Fillet wrapped in Bacon & Sage
• Pan Roasted Guinea Fowl with Chicken Jus

If you like this recipe then try some of our other great tasting side dish recipes, all perfect with roast dinner:

• Easy Hasselback Potatoes with Thyme Butter
• Best Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Braised Red Cabbage
• Savoy Cabbage with Bacon & Apple
• Creamed Brussels Sprouts

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