I’ve never made Sausage Balls; are they like this:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/21649/sausage-balls/
I’ve always used the chub of Gwaltney sausage - the ‘spicy’ version - for things like this, especially the Sausage-Spinach-Bean Soup that we make in the winter:
Sausage, Spinach and Bean Soup
8 oz. Hot Italian Sausage, casing removed (or your favorite sausage - I usually use one of the little ‘chubs’ of hot sausage)
1 tsp. Olive Oil
5 cloves Garlic, minced (Yes, 5; you may want to tone this down, too)
1/2 tsp. dried Red Pepper flakes
2 10-oz packages of fresh Spinach, torn (Baby Spinach is good here)
2 15-oz cans of Great Northern Beans, undrained
1/4 cup unsalted Butter
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 plum Tomatoes, diced (can use canned)
2 T. chopped Parsley
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
3 cups Chicken Broth
Brown sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat for 10 minutes, breaking it up and stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink.
Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and saute 2 minutes.
Add spinach and saute 2 minutes, or until wilted.
Stir in the beans and cook 1 minute. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Add butter, cheese, tomato and 1 T. parsley.
Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in salt and pepper.
Sprinkle each serving evenly with 1 T. parsley.
The soup looks good. The recipe for sausage balls I use is two cups of bisquick, 12 oz shredded sharp cheddar and 1 lb. uncooked Jimmy Dean sausage.
It’s easier to work with if you let the cheese and sausage come to room temp. before working it all together.
Pinch off 1/2 golf ball size pieces of the mix, ball it up and cook at 350 for 18-20 min.
You can add a bit of salt, pepper, garlic. Sage sausage works well to.
The reason I use Jimmy Dean is the amount of grease is less than the cheaper brands. If you use a greasy sausage the balls tend to have a mushy texture.