I just cannot get over how much I love special holiday dishes.

Sausage Balls are one of the biggest and most beloved traditions of our family Christmas. My mom usually has to make 3-4 batches of these puppies and has even shipped them to family members who were not with us for the Christmas morning. We literally crawl over each other to hoard them once out of the oven.

So I wanted to share my gluten free take on this Southern Classic because who cares if the holidays are over? I will eat them when I want to eat them, tradition be damned!

With only three ingredients, they are a no brainer (flour, cheddar cheese, and ground sausage) but I might suggest doing yourself a favor and make them ahead of time. They easily hold up in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for months so you can whip them out whenever you want with no time or effort at all.

For this particular recipe, I have elected to share the original recipe my mother makes and the adaptation I make. The original tastes like home – perfectly cheesy and savory. My adaptation tastes similar but makes the balls a bit less dense and amps up the flavor while maintaining the integrity of the tradition. And they are just slighter healthier (although who am I kidding? They definitely are not.) Give it a try, this is southern comfort food at it’s best and are the perfect addition to your morning brunch line up… all year long!

INGREDIENTS (OG RECIPE)

1 lb. Ground Pork Sausage

4 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 cups GF All Purpose Flour

Serving Size: 8 (but you can never eat too many so I always double the recipe!)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400°.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the all the ingredients and knead until fully mixed.
• I highly recommend using a KitchenAid standing mixer for this but if you don’t have one, use your hands and fork to combine the best you can.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Once fully mixed, use your hands to roll the sausage dough into 1-inch balls, being careful to keep the sizes similar.
• Space the balls out 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned on the outside.
• Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (CK’S UPGRADES)

1 lb. Ground Pork Sausage

3 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1.5 cups GF All Purpose Flour

1 egg

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

2 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Baking Soda

Fresh Herbs (or 1 tbsp. Dried Thyme, Oregano, Parsley, Italian Seasoning, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400°.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and herbs.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour mixture with the sausage, cheese, egg, and dijon.
• Again, I highly recommend using a KitchenAid standing mixer for this but if you don’t have one, use your hands and fork to combine the best you can.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Once fully mixed, use your hands to roll the sausage dough into 1-inch balls, being careful to keep the sizes similar.
• Space the balls out 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
• Chill for 15-20 minutes in the freezer to help keep their shape when baking.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until browned on the outside. Checking at 10 and 15 mins.
• Enjoy!