We’re casually elevating our holiday gatherings and dinner parties with these easy Sausage-Stuffed Dates – a delightful, stress-free appetizer. With a burst of sweet and savory flavors in every bite, these are the perfect little party snack. Here’s how!
Every holiday season I like to put together a uniform. I’ve got two options for holiday sweaters – one being Santa on a motorcycle so… I’m obviously leaning all the way in. My holiday dress, should I need it, is the same holiday dress I wore last year. I’m days away from buying one variety of wrapping paper and one variety of ribbon. And I’m felting soap for all of my holiday gifts.
It’s all under a small semblance of control.
In the kitchen I want a routine as well. I want a cocktail I can fall back on if I’m ever headed to a party or have a few friends over on a whim. In December, that cocktail is always a Winter Gin and Tonic with sage and lime. For a last minute, or take-with-me-on-the-quick appetizer, this year I’m adding these Sausage-Stuffed Dates to my repertoire. This recipe is an adaptation from my friend Kaleb Wyse’s recent holiday magazine. I am prone to trust a midwesterner with a satisfying party snack and this is a yes.
The bakes date to soft texture, nearly caramely. The sausage has a hint of spice and a nice little crisp. It’s a perfect bite which makes it a perfect holiday fallback. Now, let’s!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this easy stuffed dates recipe:
• whole medjool dates – I prefer pitted dates but you can buy whole dates with the pit and slice to remove the pit yourself.
• uncooked Italian sausage – I like it hot. You might prefer mild. They’re both delicious!
• crumbled feta cheese – though creamy goat cheese, ricotta, or big flakes of parmesan would also be delicious!
• fresh parsley and fresh oregano – or whatever fresh herbs you like best.
• pitted green olives – but of course black olives are delicious here too. Use whatcha got!
Making these stuffed dates is easy as can be. If it were me? I’d throw these together with a scalp treatment in my hair and a clay mask on my face and hop in the shower while they bake. We’re multi-tasting babes – conditioned hair and hot apps…. I mean, come on!
Slice each date in half just so it peels open like a book. Tuck a tablespoon of sausage into that little date pocket and set aside to fill all the dates.
The stuffed dates will bake all nestled in a shallow pool of marinara sauce. Grab the jarred stuff because it’s easy and the sauce concentrates and bakes down and gets laced with fat from the sausage. It becomes deliciously spoonable.
I like to bake the dates in the same dish I’m going to serve them in. Cast iron is great, but a 9-inch square baking dish is a good option if you prefer.
Bake until the tops of the sausage bites are crisped to golden brown, the sausage is cooked through, and the edge of the tomato sauce is bubbling – about 20 minutes.
This dish can easily be popped back in the oven to serve warm just before folks spill into your kitchen. They’re delicious on their own, but because I’m greedy, I added crumbled feta, torn green olives, and a huge flutter of chopped fresh herbs.
It’s the sort of appetizer you serve with a sturdy toothpick, a few spoons and a small plate. The bold among us would call this one bite but I to savor these stuffed dates with two bites. Just know that people will camp out around this skillet. They’ll disappear much like the deviled eggs.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator though – there will be no leftovers.
I hope these little bites make it to your holiday table this season. Let me know what you think in the comments below! xo
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Easy Sausage-Stuffed Dates Appetizer
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 25 date bites 1x
- Category: holiday, appetizer
Description
My favorite sweet and salty, super easy appetizer that’s impossible to stop nibbling.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups prepared marinara sauce
- 25 whole dates, pitted
- 1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta, for garnish
- 1/2 cup (or so) torn caselveltrano olives, for garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley and oregano, for garnish
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven two 400 degrees F.
- Pour marinara sauce into a 10-inch skillet of 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Stuff each date with 1 tablespoon of raw sausage. The date will remain open with the sausage mounding out. Place each stuffed date into the sauce with the sausage facing upright.
- Once all the dates are stuffed, place the skillet in the oven to roast until the sausage is cooked through (with an internal temp of 160 degrees F), 18-20 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and cool slightly before serving. Just before serving, sprinkle with feta, olives, and fresh herbs. Enjoy warm to warm-ish.
7 Responses
These were a little disappointing. There wasn’t much flavor, perhaps it was the mediocre spicy sausage. The feta also didn’t add much flavor. May try again with a better seasoned sausage and less marinara sauce.
I have never seen an appetizer disappear so quickly! These were so easy to make and everyone at my holiday party loved them.
so easy and so delicious! I prepped them ahead of time and baked them right before guests arrived. everyone loved them! I’m already making them again for another party I’m hosting tonight ?
The last several years, I’ve wrapped all gifts in the paper stuffing that packages have started using in place of plastic. I love the “brown paper packages” vibe is gives – plus sometimes there’s a fun green or blue paper used to add some color.
A+ choice of Hill’s meats. When I can’t find my favorite bacon (Tender Belly sugar free), Hill’s is my next choice.
Cup of Jo recently had a post about signature gifts (https://cupofjo.com/2023/11/27/signature-gift-ideas-easy-budget/) and between that and this post, I now need to figure out my signature gift. (Plus, if it’s not perishable, you can spread the purchasing out throughout the year!)
these are lovely, have never had a sausage stuffed date before, very creative, thank you!
Thank you for the tips on keeping the holiday manageable with less stress and more relaxed fun. Also for the felted soap idea for stocking stuffers. I am trying to figure out where this recipe can fit into my schedule, because it really must, even if I end up making it just for the two of us. Happy holidays and thank you for a bright spot in my week. Always something interesting and delicious.
Felting soap??