Ingredients
2lbsItalian sausage,either bulk or removed from the casing
4ozsharp cheddar cheese,(1 cup), grated
8ozcream cheese
1tspkosher salt
olive oil,for browning
3cupsmarinara sauce,store-bought or homemade
fresh parsley,garnish
pasta,for serving, optional
Preparation
In a medium bowl, mix together Italian sausage, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and kosher salt.
Use hands to mix the mixture really well so there are no huge chunks of cream cheese. Shape the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls.
Alternatively, use a small cookie scoop to create the meatballs to get around 30 balls out of the mixture. Put the meatballs on a plate.
Add a small drizzle of oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a batch of sausage balls (about 12 to 14 balls or as many as will fit in the skillet without crowding).
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flipping once to get some browning on at least two sides. The sausage balls do not need to be completely cooked through.
Repeat with the remaining sausage balls until all the balls have been browned. When finished, add the sausage balls to a slow cooker pot.
When all the sausage balls are browned and in the slow cooker, gently stir in the marinara sauce (the sausage balls may be fragile) and cook on High heat for 2 hours or Low heat for up to 8 hours.
Serve finished sausage balls garnished with parsley and served with toothpicks as an appetizer or over pasta for a full meal.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Reheat in a pot over low heat with a splash of water. Or freeze the sausage balls in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
