These delicious breakfast meatballs can be rolled the night before and then baked in the oven in the morning. Loaded with sausage, cheese, apples, and maple syrup, this easy breakfast dish sets you up for the day ahead!
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 20 minutesminutes
Thaw Time: 10 minutesminutes
Total Time: 40 minutesminutes
Servings: 36
Ingredients
1poundground pork sausage, I prefer Jimmy Dean
½cupoats, or breadcrumbs
½ - 1cupsshredded cheddar cheese
½granny smith apple, peeled and grated
2-3Tablespoonsmaple syrup, plus more as desired
½teaspoonKosher salt
¼teaspoondried thyme, optional
1-2Tablespoonsmilk, if needed
For serving: Maple syrup
Instructions
Let the sausage sit at room temperature about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up. These tend to stick to the pan if not lined.
In a large bowl or zip-top bag, mix sausage and oats together until well combined. Mix in the cheese, apple, maple syrup, salt, and thyme. You may need to mix with your hands. Add milk if your mix seems dry.
Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons), form meat mixture into balls.
Bake 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until cooked through.
Serve on a platter with maple syrup for dipping. I like to add toothpicks for easy serving.
Notes
Make ahead: You can roll the balls the night before and place on the baking sheet. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before baking. Freezer instructions: To freeze the pre-cooked balls, place on a baking sheet and freeze 30 minutes. Stack in a freezer container. When baking, let sit on the pan while the oven warms up and then add about 10 minutes to the bake time. You can also freeze the leftover cooked sausage balls. Simply let cool and then place on a baking sheet and freeze 30 minutes. Stack in a freezer container.