In my opinion, you can add sausage and cheese to anything and it becomes instantly ten times better. Sandwich, omelette, breakfast burrito, I could go on! And these delicious turnovers are no exception. Serve these sausage and cheese turnovers as a game day snack or holiday appetizer, and your guests will be very pleased indeed!
Sausage, onion, and two kinds of cheese are stuffed inside (store-bought!) biscuit dough and folded over to contain all that deliciousness. They are then sprinkled with more cheese and baked in the oven until golden brown.
These turnovers take a little time to assemble, so I put this in the “fun” category rather than the “easy” category. But, overall these are not challenging to make since you are using pre-made dough and only a handful of ingredients. And, you can make these ahead and keep them in the fridge or freezer, then heat them up when you are ready to serve!
Sausage and Cheese Turnovers Ingredients
There are only seven ingredients in this easy appetizer:
- Canned biscuit dough: The specific type I use is the 6 oz. can of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits with “Flaky Layers.” This is the smaller sized can, not the “Grands” type. I included a picture at the bottom of this section so you can see a comparison of the two sizes. If you use a different size, you will need to adjust the amount of filling and bake time accordingly.
- Sausage: you need fresh, uncooked sausage. I used mild Italian sausage, but you can use any kind you prefer.
- Onion: you need 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, about half a medium sized onion.
- Shredded cheese: you can choose any kind, as long as it’s a cheese that melts (i.e. maybe not feta, although I bet that actually would still be delicious). I tried this recipe with Gouda, Gruyere, and muenster. I preferred the Gruyere, but they were all good! Cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, and Fontina would all be good I bet.
- Cream cheese: this adds some extra moisture and creaminess to the filling
- Egg: mixed with a bit of water to make an egg wash. This is used to glue the turnover edges together and also to make the top of the turnovers shiny once they are baked.
- Flour: just a little bit to help the dough not stick when rolling. When crimping the edges of the turnover, you can also dip the fork in some flour if it’s starting to stick.
Helpful Tips
Here are a few tips to help you execute these delicious sausage and cheese appetizers the first time around:
- Make sure you roll the biscuit dough out thin enough. You want it to be about 1/8 inch thick. If you don’t roll the biscuits thin enough, there won’t be enough room to add as much filling!
- Similar to the above point, make sure you leave enough space around the filling so you can easily fold the dough over. You want at least 3/4 inch of space between the filling and the edge of the dough. Otherwise, the filling may ooze out during baking (this happened to me the first time I made these!). And be generous with the egg wash on the edge, this really helps to seal the edges!
- When you are adding the filling to the turnovers, compact it either in your hand or in a tablespoon. Because the cheese is shredded, there are a lot of air pockets in between. Compacting the filling will help to minimize those. This means each turnover will end up with more delicious filling inside!
- Be a little sparing with the cheese garnish on the outside. The first time I made these I piled the cheese on. (Because in my mind, more cheese is better than less cheese, of course!) But it kept the tops from showing that nice, shiny gloss that’s so inviting. So, just a few sprinkles will do.
- If you do have some of your turnovers leak in the oven, it’s not the end of the world! Just trim off the bits of oozy cheese once they’ve cooled down and they will still look nice. The silver lining here is that you can now eat all those toasty cheese bits.
Making Sausage and Cheese Turnovers Ahead of Time
These are a great appetizer or snack to make ahead of time! Let them cool down to room temperature and pack them inside a food storage container or a zip top gallon bag. Then keep them either in the fridge for 3 – 4 days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
Then when it’s time to serve, place the turnovers on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes if refrigerated or 20 – 22 minutes if frozen, or until heated through. The lower oven temperature allows the turnovers to heat more evenly without the outside getting too dry and crispy.
I hope these sausage and cheese turnovers bring some fun to your next party! If you need more cheesy appetizer ideas, check these crowd-pleasing recipes out:
If you’ve tried this recipe for Sausage and Cheese Turnovers, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!
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Sausage and cheese filling encased in flaky biscuit dough. The perfect party food!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. fresh sausage (not pre-cooked)
- 1/2 c. finely chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 3/4 c. shredded cheese (any type that melts – cheddar, muenster, Gruyere, etc.), divided
- 3 6 oz. cans biscuit dough, 15 biscuits total (see note)
- 1 egg
- flour for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone liners.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. If needed, remove the sausage from the casing, then add the sausage and finely chopped onion to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 – 6 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into small chunks while cooking.
- Add the cream cheese, 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese, sausage and onion to a medium bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until evenly combined, set aside.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl. Add a splash of water (about 1 tbsp.) and mix with a fork, set aside.
- On a large work surface, dust the top and bottom of a biscuit with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the biscuit into an oval shape about 1/8 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining biscuits, using additional flour on the biscuits and rolling pin if needed to avoid sticking.
- Take about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sausage and cheese mixture and compress it into an oval shape. Place it on one side of a rolled out biscuit, about 3/4 inch from the edge.
- Using a pastry brush, paint the egg mixture onto the 3/4 inch biscuit edge closest to the filling. Fold the other edge of the biscuit over the filling and line up the edges of the biscuit dough.
- Gently press out any air that may have gotten trapped in the space between the filling and the edges of the biscuit dough. Press a fork all along the seam to crimp the biscuit dough together. If the fork is sticking, dip it in flour before crimping. Repeat the filling, sealing and crimping process with the remaining biscuits.
- Place the turnovers onto the lined baking sheets. Brush the tops and sides of each turnover with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/4 c. shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 17 – 19 minutes or until the tops are a deep golden brown and the bottoms of each turnover are dark brown.
Notes
You need the smallest size biscuit dough, not the “Grands” or “jumbo” type. I used the 6 oz. can of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits with Flaky Layers. Each can of those has 5 biscuits and you will need three cans, for a total of 15 biscuits. If you use a larger or smaller biscuit, you will need to adjust the amount of filling and bake time accordingly.
Keywords: sausage turnovers, cheese turnovers, sausage and cheese turnovers, sausage and cheese appetizer, sausage appetizer
Rebecca Blackwell
I totally agree with you that adding sausage and cheese to anything makes it better! These look incredible and I’m dying to make them. Quick question: Have you ever made these with puff pastry instead of biscuit dough? I have a box of puff pastry in my freezer right now and am wondering if it would work to use it to make these. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Rebecca! I haven’t used puff pastry for this particular recipe but I was actually thinking of trying it myself! I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work, except I think you may not need to keep them in the oven as long because puff pastry seems more delicate to me than biscuit dough. If I end up trying it I will definitely let you know how it turns out, and if you do please let me know too!
linda
had made these with puff pastry and they were delish! they were a great hit with my families, friends and coworkers. I give 2 thumbs up 🙂
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them Linda, thanks for sharing!
SHANIKA
These turnovers look perfect for a nice snack or lunch! That sausage and cheese combo looks so flavorful! I need to make these ASAP!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Shanika I’m glad you like the recipe!