CHEESY STUFFED SAUSAGE AND APPLE BITES
Cheesy Stuffed Sausage & Apple Bites
One family recipe. Juicy sausage and apple bites with a hidden cheesy centre.
These are such a good freezer staple. Pork and turkey mince are mixed with sweet Granny Smith apple, sage and herbs, then stuffed with a creamy cheese sauce before being cooked until golden.
The Tiny Feasters get a mild cheddar centre with no added salt, while the grown-up version gets strong cheddar, English mustard and plenty of seasoning.
Perfect for quick lunches, lunchboxes, picnics or those inevitable “I need a snack” moments.
Makes: Approximately 14 baby/child bites and 10 larger adult bites
IngredientS
Cheese Sauce
45g unsalted butter
40g plain flour
220ml full-fat milk
For the baby/child sauce
50g mild cheddar, grated
For the adult sauce
65g strong cheddar, grated
1 tsp English mustard
Sausage & Apple Mix
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and very finely chopped
500g pork mince
500g turkey mince
3 slices of bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
2 tsp garlic purée or finely minced garlic
2 tbsp mixed herbs
1 handful fresh sage, finely chopped
1 large onion, very finely diced and gently sautéed until soft and tender
Adult Seasoning
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp mixed herbs
Method
1 . Make the Cheese Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Stir in the flour and cook briefly to form a smooth paste.
Gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously until you have a lovely thick, smooth sauce.
Divide the sauce equally between two bowls.
Stir 50g mild cheddar into one half to make the baby/child filling.
To the other half, add 65g strong cheddar and 1 teaspoon of English mustard for the adult filling.
Spoon each cheese sauce into a separate piping bag and leave to cool completely. Chilling the sauce will make the bites much easier to stuff.
2. Make the Sausage Mix
Add the finely chopped apples, pork mince, turkey mince, breadcrumbs, garlic, mixed herbs and sage to a large bowl.
Add the cooked onion and mix everything together thoroughly until evenly combined.
Divide the mixture into two portions.
Leave the baby/child portion as it is.
To the adult portion, add the salt, black pepper and additional teaspoon of mixed herbs. Mix well.
3. Stuff the Baby Bites
Divide the baby sausage mixture into approximately 14 portions.
Take one portion in the palm of your hand and flatten it slightly. Create a small channel through the centre and pipe in a little of the cooled mild cheddar sauce.
Carefully bring the sausage mixture up and around the cheese, pinching and smoothing it together so the sauce is completely enclosed with no holes.
Repeat with the remaining mixture.
4. Make the Adult Bites
Repeat the same process with the seasoned adult sausage mixture and strong cheddar and mustard sauce.
Shape into approximately 10 larger sausage bites, making sure the cheese is completely enclosed.
5. Freeze
Arrange the bites in a single layer on a lined baking tray, making sure they aren’t touching.
Freeze until completely solid, then transfer to labelled freezer bags or containers.
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To Cook
Cook in the air fryer at 180°C.
The smaller baby/child bites take approximately 12–15 minutes, while the larger adult bites will need around 3–4 minutes longer.
Cooking time will depend on their size and your air fryer, so always check that the meat is completely cooked through and piping hot in the centre.
Try not to overcook them — you want the outside beautifully golden while the sausage remains lovely and juicy inside with that molten cheesy centre.
Chill your cheese sauce before piping. A cold, thick cheese sauce is much easier to enclose inside the sausage mixture and far less likely to escape while you’re shaping them.
Freeze them flat on a tray first, then once they’re solid, transfer them to a freezer bag so you can grab exactly as many as you need.
Cook once. Feed everyone.
