Ultimate Party Food: Sausage Yummies

Every year, my friend Apryl says, “You know what I want for my birthday, right?”

And I do. She wants me to bring sausage yummies to her New Year’s Eve Party, although they’re equally appropriate for holiday appetizers, Super Bowl gatherings or midnight snacking. They are simple to make – five ingredients! – but look as though they require far more effort than they actually do. They are particularly useful if you need to make up for an egregious error or are trying to bribe your host – they really are that yummy.

Do not consume if you are presently following a low-fat, low-carb or low-calorie diet. Do not make this recipe if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma, lower back pain, or a compulsive eating disorder. Side effects include instantaneous cardiac arrest, tunnel vision and/or loss of control of snacking function. First-time users may have spontaneous outbursts the phrase “I must have this recipe!”

Sausage Yummies
A Burghilicious Family Recipe

For the filling:
1 lb bulk sausage
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup ranch dressing

For the cups:
1 package wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 TBSP vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brown the sausage over medium-high heat. Drain on paper towels then cool.

When sausage has cooled, combine sausage,  shredded cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, or freeze.

Press one wonton wrapper into each cup of a 12-cup muffin tin to form little cups. Lightly brush the corners of each wrapper with oil, then bake for five minutes, until corners are light golden brown. Remove individual cups to a cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 48 cups.

Fill each cup with a tablespoon (or more) of filling, spreading filling equally between all the cups. You can stop here and refrigerate the filled cups if you would like.

Bake filled cups, uncovered, for five minutes or until filling is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven, transfer to a plate and serve warm. No dip required.

A Quick Note
You could add just about anything to these little guys – chopped peppers, chopped black olives, sauteed onions, jalapenos – whatever you think sounds good with sausage, cheese and ranch. You can also use this little wonton cup for serving any variety of fillings. One of my favorites is chili-powdered chicken, cheese, spinach and black beans.

Tagged as: cheese, party, ranch, sausage