Did you know that with one simple trick you can stuff your own sausage? In just five minutes I stuffed Italian sausage with mozzarella cheese and popped it into the oven to bake for dinner. This Stuffed Sausage Recipe is perfect for any night of the week.
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I am the queen of fast dinners. And by that, I don't mean I make the most delicious fast dinners all the time (although some are pretty darn good) what I mean is that most nights of the weeks 5 pm rolls around and I haven't even thought about dinner yet. But somehow I get it on the table by 6 anyway!
During the school year, the afternoons are packed full of homework, emptying lunch boxes, washing school uniforms (because someone always falls into the mud or spills their lunch) and other mom tasks. And then in the summertime just seems to fly by. Easy dinners like this stuffed sausage are always a necessity no matter the month.
I have a few tips for last minute dinners that are still real food (because we all know frozen pizza is quick and easy - and we are not above that in my house either).
1. Always have fresh or thawed meat in the fridge. And/or meat that cooks quickly from frozen like individually frozen chicken tenders.
2. Always have steam bags of frozen veggies and/or washed and ready fresh vegetables and salad greens.
3. Keep a stocked pantry with a variety of spice blends.
4. Have a nice assortment of condiments in the fridge.
With those items, you can put dinner together in a flash.
How to Make Stuffed Sausage
So, my trick to stuffing sausage is simple. Use kitchen shears to split open the casing along one side. Do not remove the casing. Simple open the sausage down the middle, stuff in the cheese stick, and then reform the sausage around the cheese stick.
Can I stuff the sausage with other ingredients?
You can use this same method and add any ingredient you like to your sausage. I want to try adding some lightly sauteed peppers and onions to the sausage. I know you can buy sausage at the grocery store with peppers and onions added in but I'm positive they will taste so much better with fresh.
What sauce should I use for Stuffed Sausage
I use any no sugar added marinara.
Before, above. After, below. The cheese gooed out a little bit but for the most part, it stayed inside each stuffed sausage link.
A few of our favorite quick low carb meals are:
Chicken tenders with a creamy parmesan sauce with broccoli.
Turkey burgers on top of salad.
Tacos with all the fixings. (This is even easier if you make a big batch of taco meat and freeze some).
And this stuffed sausage.
For a whole list of dinners with less than 5 ingredients check out my post on Easy Keto Meals with 5 Ingredients or Less! This has over 25 Low Carb Entrees.
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Italian sausage links about 1.5-2 pounds
- 5 mozzarella cheese sticks
- ½ cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut a sausage down the side. Do not remove the casing. Put a mozzarella stick inside the sausage and press it back into its shape. Put it casing side down in an 8 x 10-inch baking pan. Repeat with the remaining sausage.
- Pour the marinara sauce over the sausage.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the sausage is 160 when checked with a meat thermometer.
Stefanie says
does this get greasy without cooking the sausage first?
Taryn says
It depends on your sausage. If you want to bake it just with the cheese and drain the oil before adding the sauce you can do that.
Hannah says
I made 4 times the recipe for a crowd. 20 Italian sausages with mozz. sticks and 1 (24 oz.) jar of marinara fit nicely in a 13 x 16 inch roasting pan (rack removed). The amount of sauce each person ate was easily personalized. Served it up with mixed veggies (onion, mushroom, zucchini, peppers), and everyone loved it! Thanks again for another great recipe.
Michelle says
This is an amazing dish. I saw it made somewhere else and had to come find the original recipe, so I could share it. The only thing I do differently is I put a little sauce down in the bottom of the pan, then, after I’ve encased the cheese in the sausage, I take off the casing. I sprinkle lots of garlic on it, then top it with the sauce. It is a family favorite in our house! ♥️♥️♥️
Valorie Matthews says
Left a comment before forgot to rate it. Lol
Valorie Matthews says
I am definitely going to try these love, Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and sauce. It looks very good and I have done this with putting cheese on top of the italian sausage with marinara sauce in the oven!! Thanks for this recipe!😊♥️
LisaK says
I have made this as written, very kid friendly. Last night I sliced up an onion, bell pepper, and a couple handfuls of mushrooms and layered those under the sausage/cheese/sauce. The cook time had the veggies done perfectly and they were a nice addition to the meal with no extra dishes!
Lynn says
My first time making this, and I loved it. Amazing what just three simple ingredients can create. A bit too salty for my taste so next go round I'll try halving the string cheese and look for lower sodium marinara. It will be awhile though; I have a double batch to eat up first.
Gail says
I found this recipe on your website joyfilledeats.com in October 2018 and have been making it since then. My husband really likes this (me too!) It is very easy to prepare and I now always have the ingredients on hand. The first time I made it was when we were traveling in our Motorhome, and for whatever reason I didn't have any mozzarella cheese sticks, and of course we were miles from a grocery store, so I mixed cream cheese, spinach and chopped peppers and stuffed the sausages; and it was delicious. But since then I make it just the way your recipe states. I also put sliced peppers and onions on the bottom of the pan before adding the sausages and sauce. Not only is it easy to prepare, but It is such a pretty presentation on a dinner plate.
Annemarie says
Hi! I have this in the oven now. Can you freeze this dish? Thanks!
Taryn says
Yes, enjoy!
Eejay says
I’ve made this about 5-6 x now. I’ve been on the keto diet since February. I now stock my cupboards with Simply Ragu which has no added sugar for the sauce and I’m going to start buying sausage in bulk. String cheese is a staple for me on this diet so I always try to stay stocked. In other words-great recipe!
Stacie says
I made these tonight and used Alfredo instead of marinara and it was delish! I also added more cheese on top before I baked on the oven because….who doesn’t love more cheese!!!
Jennifer says
I just tried this recipe, but I used pizza sauce I had left over and I don't know if pizza sauce has a lot more salt than marinara, but it turned out too salty. I was so sad because the recipe sounded so yummy. I can't give a bad rating because I did make a substitute.
Eejay says
Doesn’t sauce have sugar in it?
Taryn says
It will have the natural sugar from tomatoes. You want to choose one without any added sugar.
Amy says
I had sauteed peppers,onions, mushrooms and jalapenos leftover from a low carb pizza I had made so I took that put that inside the sausage then packed the cheese down on it. I used the crockpot. I put some of the sauce in the bottom then added the rest on top cooked on low for about 31/2 to 4 hours. Delish!
S Fleming says
Very good outcome on these sausages. Husband really crazy about it so it’s on the menu for tonight. Thanks for a change and a cutdown on tons of cheese.
Olivia Smith says
I'm am trying to stay on this keto change and I was having a hard time finding dinner meals that had low carbs. I made this the other day and it was so amazing!!! My husband really enjoyed it as well. thank you so much for this delicious meal!
Cindi says
Looks great! Anyone tried to cook NOT in oven???? Maybe instant pot? Stove top?? I’m in HOT, HUMID HOUSTON. There are maybe 3 months of the year when soups and oven meals are good, so always looking to not turn it on. I may try stove top this week. Either way I will let y’all know. I am not alone down here 😅
Taryn says
Instant pot or stovetop should be fine! Maybe 15-20 minutes over medium heat, covered, with the sauce.
CJ says
I am going to make these in my toaster oven as it won't hear the house up...I hear ya on the heat!! I live in AZ! SO I would think an Insta-pot kind of appliance should do great too! Good luck!