I grew up sharing the holidays with my extended family. Every year, we would gather and share some great times and wonderful food. My Aunt took us all by surprise when she brought these Sausage Stars one year. We all had to have the recipe! I’ve made it countless times, varying the ingredients to what I have on hand, and it’s delicious every time.
These appetizers are perfect little bites for your next get-together. The flavors appeal to both kids and adults alike. But much like many of the dishes I make, it’s not for those on limited calorie consumption.
The ingredients are simple and versatile. Don’t have fresh bell pepper? Use roasted bell peppers from a jar! Don’t have regular sausage? Use Italian sausage! Out of cheddar? Use a blend! You get the idea.
Make the filling by browning the sausage and draining off the grease. Set it aside to cool.
Mix together the cheese, olives, and peppers.
Mix in the sausage and Ranch dressing. At this point, you can refrigerate this mix for a day or two if you are making these ahead of time. This is a really quick appetizer if you have the mixture ready to go. 15 minutes tops!
Put the wonton wrappers into mini-muffin cups. Press them in lightly.
Bake them for about 5 minutes, until they are a very light brown on the edges.
Stuff each shell with the sausage mixture. If you like lots of stuffing, use less wontons. If you don’t want them as full, use more wontons.
Bake the stuffed wontons about 5 to 10 minutes more, until they are heated through, the cheese has melted, and the wontons are a light golden brown. Serve immediately!
Aunt Kim’s Sausage Stars
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork sausage can be Italian, browned & drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 3/4 cup Ranch salad dressing
- 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
- 1 2.5 oz can chopped black olives
- Wonton wrappers
Instructions
- Combine all except wonton wrappers. Place wonton wrappers into mini-muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stuff wontons with filling. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until light golden brown.
May 15, 2010 at 5:30 pmAny idea if these would work in a regular muffin tin? I don’t have the mini size.
May 16, 2010 at 9:29 amIf you used larger wonton wrappers (perhaps egg roll wrappers?), I think it would. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
July 29, 2012 at 2:18 pmI am about to try them with the bigger tins because I didn’t notice when I originally read the recipe that I needed the mini ones.
I checked to see if the wonton wraps fit and they do..they just make a bigger star shape is all. 😀
September 14, 2010 at 10:15 pm[…] made the filling and served it as crab dip. Also, you can bake the wontons as in my aunt’s Sausage Stars, then fill the wontons with this filling instead for baked crab rangoon. They have a different […]
December 9, 2010 at 2:45 pmI’m always on the hunt for good muffin pan recipes for my blog. I found a recipe similar to this on AllRecipes, but right near it I saw the photo for this recipe. It was strange because I looked at your picture of ingredients and it looked almost identical to mine. The AllRecipes doesnt call for red peppers but I just happen to have them in my fridge and I wanted to use them. Your recipe included everything I had on hand! If you’d like, go check out my blog later today. I’m gonna credit you with the recipe, with all the appropriate acknowledgments of course! Cheers!
December 17, 2010 at 1:10 pmI’m glad you mentioned how customizable this recipe is! It really is incredibly versatile; so easy to cater to your own tastes. The filling possibilities are endless!
February 12, 2012 at 3:01 pm[…] and that I would need to make an appetizer that night instead of dinner. I ended up taking my Aunt Kim’s Sausage Stars, and they were a hit– I didn’t bring any […]
March 3, 2013 at 1:58 pm[…] try to keep the menus simple! We are going to try tacos in wonton cups (like how I make them for Sausage Stars). After baking the wontons, I’ll fill them with meat and cheese, then we’ll top with […]
March 15, 2013 at 12:00 pm[…] flavors, I always feel like it’s a little messy to serve. So, I took some inspiration from my aunt’s sausage stars, and decided to make 7 Layer Taco Cups! They are so fun and full of flavor. Your guests are […]