Chorizo spiced sausage mixed with manchego cheese and wrapped around manchego stuffed Castelvetrano olives.
These are a dressed-up version of classic sausage balls. With the briny olives, salty cheese, and spicy sausage, these balls are the perfect appetizer to serve with martinis or red wine.
Making these olive stuffed sausage balls isn’t much different than making regular sausage balls. You still mix sausage with cheese, flour, and baking powder, but these require just a little more work. First, I start by mixing the sausage. I take ground pork shoulder and mix it with garlic and spices. The spices need time to flavor the meat. I usually refrigerate it overnight, but it can be used after an hour.
Sausage is made, time to focus on the olives. I used pitted castelvetrano olives to save on a little bit of work! If you can’t find castelvetrano, use any type of green olives. Keep in mind the bigger the olive, the more sausage needed to cover it. Drain the olives thoroughly before stuffing. I sliced the cheese into 1/4 inch by 1/2 inch cubes. Then, pressed the cheese into the olives. It is ok if some of the olives split or break, as long as they hold their shape.
After the olives are stuffed, mix the sausage with the flour, baking powder, and cheese. Using a tablespoon measure, I pre-scoop the sausage. Pre-scooping ensures there is enough sausage to wrap all the olives. If there is a little extra leftover, add small pieces to the other balls. Then it’s time to wrap the olives. Flatten the balls, place an olive in the middle, and press the sausage together around it. Roll the balls between your palms to shape and seal the sausage. This is an important step in making this recipe. If the sausage doesn’t seal properly, it will pop open during cooking. Placing the balls seam side down on a baking tray will also keep them from popping open. Bake the balls for 20-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven, cool, and serve.
There you have it. Olive stuffed sausage balls. A little more work with a tasty reward!
Olive Stuffed Sausage Balls
Ingredients
Sausage
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp hot chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Sausage Balls
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 40 castelvetrano olives pitted and drained
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 10 ounces manchego cheese more for garnish
- 1 sausage mix
Instructions
Sausage
- Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to 24.
Sausage Balls
- Grate 8 ounces of cheese and cut 2 ounces into small cubes. Stuff the olives with the cubes, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Mix the flour and baking powder. Mix in the grated cheese, then the sausage mix. Scoop 40 balls using a tablespoon measure. Flatten the ball, place 1 olive inside, and form the sausage around it. Continue until all the balls have been made. Place the balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment with space in-between.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Cool and serve at room temperature. Garnish with extra cheese and olives if desired.
