Sausage Cheese Balls-An Oldie But Goodie!

We have a baseball tournament this weekend and I wanted to have some quick breakfast food on hand for the family to be able to grab on the go.  I also had some BOGO Jimmy Dean Sausage and shredded cheese that I wanted to use.  You probably have all of the ingredients  for this easy recipe. I halved the original because I only had one roll of sausage.  I will list my substitutions beside what was originally called for in the recipe.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  This would also be something good to make a batch of ahead of time during the school year and pull out of the freezer for a quick breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) packages Regular Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage (you could use the hot if you have it or like it spicy!)
• 3 cups all-purpose baking mix
• 4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion( I think I would leave this out next time, or either chop them very finely!)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery(did not have on hand so I used about 1t.celery seed)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)(again did not feel like chopping so I used 1 t. garlic powder)
•   I also added 1 t. dry mustard that was not called for in the original recipe, but I love the flavor of mustard and sausage together(think sausage biscuit!).

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all room temperature ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir well(You got to use your hands here people-no other way). Form into 1inch balls. Place on un-greased foil lined baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks.

Footnotes

• may be prepared ahead and frozen uncooked. To bake from frozen: thaw on baking sheet 15 minutes; bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown

• Time Saving Tip: One package of 9.6 oz fully cooked Jimmy Dean® Hearty Sausage Crumbles may be substituted for one 16 oz roll of fresh breakfast sausage in most dishes.