Looking for an easy appetizer? These Chardonnay Italian Sausage Bites are it! Italian sausage are cut into bite-size pieces, simmered in chardonnay and then quickly browned under your broiler. Plate and serve with a simple spicy mustard dip. Serves a crowd in under 1 hour.
A party isn’t a party with out great appetizers.
And these addictive chardonnay Italian sausage bites (also known in our house as “the sausages”) have it all. They’re simple to make, only call for a few ingredients and are ridiculously delicious. I only have these once a year at my family’s Christmas get together. And it’s not a Christmas get together unless “the sausages” make an appearance. The recipe is my sister Julie and my brother-in-law Jeff’s signature app they make every year. And with their blessing, I get to share the recipe with you!
Everyone who’s had these Italian sausage bites loves them. And if you’re wondering, no there’s not any strong wine flavor, just sausage deliciousness (trust me, my husband would know and even he loves these). As for what to dip these in? I made up a quick spicy mustard.
What’s better than a crispy sausage dipped in mustard ? Maybe that ice cold beer you’ll drink to wash it all down. 😉
To make This spicy mustard dip you will need:
- mayonnaise – Adds flavor and creaminess.
- yellow mustard – Adds a sharp tangy flavor.
- sriracha – For a delicious spicy kick.
- garlic powder – Adds flavor that’s sweeter yet milder than fresh garlic.
- paprika – Adds color and subtle flavor.
- kosher salt – Enhances the flavors in this dip.
- freshly ground black pepper – This will add some subtle bite and flavor.
In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup plus to tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon [more or less to taste] Sriracha hot sauce, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon both kosher salt and black pepper.
Mix until combined, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
What Type of Sausages To Use for Sausage Bites?
What was recommended to me was Premio brand sausages, which are sold at Costco [hence the 5 lbs!], but any good quality mild, sweet or hot Italian sausages will work.
Slice each link into 4 bite-size pieces. 5 pounds of sausages will yield roughly around 80 or so bites. Trust me, 80 is both enough and not enough at the same time ;).
Then add the sausage pieces into a large stockpot and pour in the entire bottle of wine. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes.
If your sausage bites aren’t totally submerged in the wine, don’t worry – they will still get fully cooked as the bubbles rise and the cooked sausages settle.
What type of Chardonnay is Best for This recipe?
I’m using Oyster Bay Chardonnay because I love it — all their whites actually (although I have yet to try their red yet). No this is not a sponsored post, they don’t even know I exist – I would just recommend using a wine you like to sip.
Now your home should smell amazing!
Wine and Italian sausage mmmmm!
To give these Italian sausage bites some color, place them onto a metal, rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Next, move your oven rack so it sits about 4 inches underneath the heating element and preheat your broiler on high. Once preheated, slide the pan of sausages underneath the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Then using tongs, carefully turn the sausages and brown for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Then simply serve on a platter with the spicy mustard dip!
These chardonnay Italian sausage bites are not just good football food, they would be a fantastic appetizer for any gathering when you need to feed a large crew, Super Bowl or no Super Bowl.
Enjoy! And if you give this Chardonnay Italian Sausage Bites recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Chardonnay Italian Sausage Bites with Spicy Mustard Dip
Ingredients
FOR THE SPICY MUSTARD:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought
- 6 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha, more or less to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SAUSAGES:
- 5 pounds Italian sausages, sweet, mild or hot, cut into fourths (I use Premio brand at Costco)
- 1 bottle chardonnay wine
Instructions
MAKE THE SPICY MUSTARD:
- Meanwhile whisk together the mayo, mustard, sriracha, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
MAKE THE SAUSAGES:
- Place the quartered sausages into a large pot and pour in the whole bottle of chardonnay. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes or until fully cooked. Stir the sausages occasionally to keep them from sticking.
- Once the sausage bites are fully cooked, remove and place them onto a rimmed metal baking sheet that is lined with aluminum foil.
- Arrange your oven rack so it is 4-inches below the broiler, and preheat your oven to broil (on high).
- Slide the pan of sausage bites underneath the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, rotating the pan at 1½ minutes or until all are evenly browned on top. Remove the pan and carefully turn each sausage bite before sliding the pan back under your broiler for another 2 to 3 minutes, again, rotating the pan at the 1½ minute mark to ensure even browning.
- Remove and let cool slightly before transferring the sausage bites to a clean platter.
- Serve with the spicy mustard dip and toothpicks!
Notes
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Do you think these can be frozen once cooked?
Hi Patty! I would assume so.
Delicious! Made these tonight for dinner as the entree. Served the sausages whole with the dip, which is the perfect complement.
I’m so happy to hear it, Colleen!
What an easy recipe and what a great choice of Chardonnay. As one who has and worked in New Zealand on and off for the past 35 years. I can only applaud your pick..
Okay, it’s affordable for me at the moment at around $7.50 a bottle at the local liquor store. But in restaurants you cam pay up to $38-40 here in Australia.
Anyway, I have only just come across your site on Pinterest and am enjoying the recipes. Shame about the Patriots losing. It’ll just add to more silly tweets from their #1 fan (Mr Trump-it) over the next several days. I imagine.
Happy cooking, Caz. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of their wine and yes, totally affordable. Love it ❤️
My husband was skeptical; a sausage “purist.” Now he’s in love with not only the cooking method but the sauce/dip. I have made the dip a few times; good on burgers, sandwiches. I’ve made this twice in a week. This will be our superbowl app
Ewww…you leave the skins on?
YES! And they crisp up nicely under the broiler. Definitely not “Ewww” 🙂
Can you make this ahead of time and serve at room temperature?
I would think so! Although, keep in mind, the skin may lose their crispness if made and refrigerated.
What would be the best way to heat these for a party without using hosts oven? Can they be put in a crockpot?
Hi Winnie! I would suggest keeping them warm tightly covered in an aluminum pan. I don’t recommend the slow cooker as the skin may not stay crisp. They are still amazing at room temperature too! I hope this helps!
This looks so good! What a great trick for making bite-sized meatballs quickly!
Thankse for sharing! Does the dip last long?
I’m not sure I understand your question? Are you asking if it can be made in advance?
I don’t like chardonnay wine, does the sausage take on a lot of the wine flavor? Would another white wine work as well. Thank you.
I personally don’t think the sausage takes on the wine flavor. I would suggest a good dry wine like a Sauvignon Blanc would be just as good. 🙂
I have a question about the skin….I find sausage casing very off-putting and always remove it. How do you think this would affect the end product?
Easy and Delicious! This is a keeper!
I used fully cooked sausage (bought by mistake) and followed recipe! Delicious
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I changed it a bit. I removed sausage from casing into small balls and then sautéed in butter olive oil and white wine until crisp. Excellent dipping sauce!
Hello, I am Saeedeh and I copied your sauce recipe from Iran for my cooking page. Thank you in advance. Thank you in advance.
Thank you for letting me know, Saideh!
I made this for a first ever post pandemic family gathering and they were delicious. I am making them again, but this time I have to avoid the alcohol for one of my guests, so will use chicken broth. I will let you know how that goes.
This recipe sounds delish! Can I brown the sausages in the air fryer?
I’ve made this delicious recipe at least a half a dozen times and everyone loves it. Make sure to cook sausage for all of the 45 minutes…it changes the consistency of the sausage.
What’s a good side (keto possibly) to go with these if these are the main course?
Question, I’d like to make this appetizer the day before. What would be the best way to reheat sausage bites without over cooking?
These are wonderful…flavorful, so easy to make, and everyone loved them! I made the dipping sauce and boiled the sausage the day before. It was easy to broil the sausage right before serving. We could not get enough! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I was a little dubious about the recipe, especially leaving the “skins” on, but it was intriguing enough to give it a shot. Well it was definitely worth the shot! I’m traveling and visiting family, so I experimented on them … they’re used to me experimenting on them and they loved these! Thanks for a simple and delicious recipe!
My only change was to cut the sausages a little smaller, into 8 pieces rather than 4. Worked great!
Can the casing be removed before cooking!?
If you like dry crumbly sausage, then this is for you. Poaching in the wine for 40min sucked all the flavor and moisture from sausage. I followed recipe exactly as written and used very good quality fresh Italian sausage links and wine. I was suspicious of the 40min poach time, but try not to deviate when trying a new recipe, particularly one that has good rating and reviews.
Sorry to say will not be making these again. It was a waste of good sausage.
Hi Cori! Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work for you, but unfortunately something had to go wrong at some point. This recipe has been made hundreds of times with success. Did you remove the skin from the sausage? Because I can’t imagine why it would crumble.
I haven’t even tried the recipe yet. I’m rating 5 stars bc you actually give me a brine brand name to try. No one does that! It drive me bonkers bc I don’t drink wine but I want to learn to cook with it.I love the flavors. People just say cook with what you like to drink. That is not helpful for me. Thank you sooooooo much.I can’t wait to try this and other recipes from you.
sausages and dip were good, but i got no wine flavor. I’m not sure why cooking in water wouldn’t have worked. Instead of wasting a bottle of wine.
Hi Michelle! Thank your for your comment! Poaching the sausage in wine isn’t to have the end result be wine flavored sausage. The wine will enhance the flavors of the sausage. Just like adding salt to a recipe, you don’t want to taste the salt but enhance the flavors of the dish itself. I hope this helps 🙂
I’d like to make this as an appetizer on Christmas Eve. Do you think it would be okay to poach in the wine a day or 2 before, bring it to room temperature, & then broil it right before serving?
Haven’t made it yet, but it looks super. I cannot figure out how 5lbs of sausage will only feed 20 people. Are you giving it to them as a main course? That seems costly.
Hi Janet! Thanks for stopping by! To answer your question, for an appetizer you would want to plan for roughly 1/4 to 1/3 pound (prior to cooking) of meat per person. For a main course, you would want 1/2 a pound per person. Technically this recipe “could” serve more deepening on what’s being served with it. I hope this helps!