Here’s how to make Sausage Meatballs in just 15 minutes – and still have time for a glass of wine. It even comes with a homemade tomato meatball sauce!
15 Minute Sausage Meatballs
JB’s debut recipe was always going to be a hard act to follow….so I decided not to even try! Instead, I’m going for something that’s speedy, low effort with maximum reward – golden brown juicy sausage meatballs smothered in an Italian tomato sauce, on the table in 15 minutes flat.
My trick is to chop up sausages into small bite size pieces. At first, they look a bit smeary and wonder how on earth this is going to work – but please have faith! Because when cooked, they magically fry up into meatball-like shapes. OK, so they might not all be perfect round balls but nor have you had to tediously roll them one by one!
Now, pour yourself a wine while you see how to make these Sausage Meatballs so quickly, and tomorrow, you can sip one while you make them. Because this is a recipe you really can actually, leisurely make in 15 minutes – yay!
Ingredients in 15 Minute Sausage Meatballs
Just 5 ingredients – your favourite sausages, tomato passata, garlic, chicken stock and Italian herbs. Basil and red pepper flakes are optional, oil and salt don’t count!
Sausages – The pre-seasoned meat inside the sausages also flavours the sauce, so get good ones! As a general rule, sausages where you can see little meat and fat bits are better than the uniform economical pink ones used for fundraiser sausage sizzles (and we love them!).
Sausage meat.- Use what you want! Pork is classic, beef sausages brown up extra nicely (this is what I used in the photos), and chicken sausages are just tasty, tasty tasty! I use all three.
Tomato passata – This is pureed, plain tomatoes which is a brilliant way to make smooth tomato based sauces fast, no simmering time needed to break down chunks of canned tomatoes. It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces and no more expensive than canned tomatoes.
Sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart), substitute with Hunt’s Tomato Sauce (or equivalent). More on tomato passata here.
Chicken stock/broth – Adds a bit more flavour to the sauce than using water so it’s tasty with just a 5 minute simmer. Essential, it makes up for not simmering this sauce slowly for 40 minutes. 🙂
Dried Italian herbs – Just a regular Italian herb mix from a regular grocery store, for a touch of flavour into the sauce. Substitute with dried oregano, parsley, thyme, or a general dried herb mix.
Red pepper flakes / chilli flakes – 100% optional, for a hint of warmth in the sauce. Omit for not spicy.
Sprig of basil (optional) – You know fresh basil adds a little za-za-zoom into everything! I use the leaves for garnish plonk the stem into the sauce to infuse with gently flavour.
How to make Sausage Meatballs in 15 minutes
This isn’t the first time I’ve shared a quick meatballs recipe made using chopped-up sausages – and it definitely won’t be the last. It’s not just convenient, I love how much flavour the pre-seasoned meat adds to the sauce. This is why the sauce is so tasty even though we aren’t simmering for ages!
Cut the sausages into even size pieces so they are roughly as wide as they are long, so they will cook into balls rather than cylinders! So if your sausages are thin, you’ll have more smaller meatballs. Whereas if you have fat sausages, you’ll have larger but less meatballs. Both are food situations!
Brown (3 – 4 minutes) – Use a large non-stick pan, the one pictured is 30cm/12″ wide. Heat the oil on high heat then add the sausages and cook, stirring fairly regularly, until the surface is nicely browned but the inside is still raw. This will only take about 3 – 4 minutes (caveat: if you used a large pan and you’re not using a tiny weak burner!)
Meatballs! See? That pile of smeary sausage chunks has magically transformed into meatballs!!
Sauce (5 minutes) – Add the garlic and stir for just 15 seconds until very light golden (careful, it will burn fast). Add the chicken stock, simmer rapidly for 1 minute to reduce by about half. Then add the tomato passata, Italian herbs, chilli flakes (if using), salt and basil stem, if using (we’ll use the leaves for garnish).
Simmer – Stir and simmer fairly rapidly for 4 minutes on medium high. The sauce will thicken and the sausage seasoning will add flavour into the sauce. <- Sip wine during this stage. See, I told you the recipe factors that in!!
Ready! And look at that – tasty sausage meatballs smothered in a flavourful tomato pasta sauce, ready to get in your belly!
All the ways to eat Sausage Meatballs!
I can picture these stuffed into crusty rolls for epic Sausage Meatball Subs. No idea why I haven’t tried it yet – finger-licking, messy comfort food is 100% me! Also – fast and effortless. 🙂 Not man handling big steamy pots of hot pasta!!
For the pasta option – pictured, and shown in the video – toss the hot cooked pasta with the meatballs and sauce before dividing between bowls. This way, the tasty sauce will cling to the pasta which will make every bite that much tastier – rather than having to slop up sauce pooled in the base of your pasta bowl.
Else, serve over a bed of something creamy and starchy – mashed potato, polenta (pictured – I used 1 minute polenta), even cauliflower mash (the flavour is actually very neutral). There’s always something extra appealing about coddling a bowl of food you can eat with your spoon rather than battling sauce-splatters-and-spaghetti-twirls!
How else could this be served? Share your ideas! Oooh – inside a jaffle?? With a slice of cheese! 😮 So many possibilities!! – Nagi x
15 Minute Sausage Meatballs FAQ
4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer! Make ready-meals with cooked pasta on the side (don’t toss with the sauce).
The better the sausage, the tastier it will be! Look for sausages with fat and meat specks which is more meat and less fillers, rather than the ones that are a uniform pink colour that typically has higher fillers. I aim for sausages with 80%+ meat from grocery stores (read the ingredient label) though sausages from butchers are my preference.
Don’t get me wrong! The economical BBQ sizzle sausages will always have a place in my life – I have been known to find an excuse to head to Bunnings on weekends just so I can get a sausage sandwich!! (It’s for charity 😇).
I fully endorse the use of any and all sausages in this recipe!! (Caveat though about quality, as noted in the above FAQ 🙂 )
Pork – I’ve got a soft spot for classic pork sausages – Country Pork, Cumberland, Italian… I’m such a sucker when they have an enticing name! 🤣 Pork stays juicier and softer than beef or chicken, and it fries up that gorgeous golden colour they never quite manage.
Beef – Beef sausages have come a long way! I’m easily enticed by names like Angus Beef with Caramelised Onion or “Gourmet Beef Sausages.” Beef browns beautifully and has a great beefy flavour, though they’re not as soft and juicy as pork.
Chicken – I love chicken sausages! From Herb & Garlic to feta-spinach-pine-nuts or cheddar versions, I can’t resist them. They don’t brown quite as nicely, and being leaner, can dry out if overcooked -but with this quick recipe, they stay nicely juicy. (PS Any Sydney-siders remember the chain chicken butcher, Lenard’s?? I was mad for all their sausages!!
Faux meat sausages – Sorry, I haven’t tried any so I can’t comment. Not sure if they’d hold together, how they’d fry up and not sure if they’d add sufficient flavour into the sauce.
This is a variation of other mini-sausage meatball recipes I’ve shared in the past – like this Sausage Pasta and this one-pot mini sausage meatball pasta in Dinner. I wanted to share the sausage meatballs in just meatball form with sauce, rather than cooked up with a pasta, so I could show you how quick it is to make and the various ways it can be served. Think beyond pasta!! Serve it over anything starchy that’s ideal for sauce soaking – polenta in particular is delicious plus the red sauce against the yellow polenta looks so great (see it in the video). Plus – stuffing into rolls for make subs!
Being such a straightforward recipe, I didn’t need JB to help with development. I just wrote up the recipe in the recipe card below, printed it out then asked him to make it. He pointed out I had omitted to include garlic in the directions, and I wanted to make sure he didn’t think it was too salty (he didn’t).
His reaction when he tasted it was a mix of surprise and approval – the kind that says, “Hang on… this is actually really good!”. Like he expected otherwise – so rude! 😂
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
15 Minute Sausage Meatballs
Ingredients
Serving:
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
FULL RECIPE
SERVING WITH PASTA
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Everyday reality – trying to cook while Dozer parks himself exactly where I need to stand!
In his younger days I’d shoo him out of the kitchen, but now that he’s in his golden years and has mobility challenges, it doesn’t even cross my mind. I’m just happy to have him nearby – and that he managed to get up by himself!
