Easy Sage and Onion Stuffing Balls

Sage and onion stuffing balls are an essential part of a Sunday roast and a traditional Christmas dinner spread, and they are so easy to make!

Whilst I prefer to make these into individual balls and roast them with my Sunday lunch, the mix can also be cooked separately in a bowl meaning that you can make it vegetarian or even vegan.

Sage and Onion Stuffing

There are a couple of brand names in the UK that are synonymous with Sunday lunch. Bisto owns gravy and Paxo owns stuffing.

How on earth we ended up here I have no idea at all. Both gravy and sage and onion stuffing are insanely easy to make from scratch.

Most importantly, they both taste better than their “boxed” brethren.

AND they are both cheaper, for gravy you should check out any of my roast dinner recipes.

They all have a pan gravy my crispy roast pork belly and roast chicken with pan gravy are particularly good with sage and onion stuffing. Stick around here for all things stuffing!

It is essentially a combination of bread crumbs, onions and sage, stupidly simple and utterly delicious and so easy.

You don’t have to roll it into balls, you could pile it into a bowl and roast it, I have a chicken ballotine with sage and onion stuffing.

I also have some “free form” stuffing in my sage and onion chicken pasta recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this to stuff a chicken or turkey?

I never stuff the cavity of a bird because it has a negative impact on the cooking process.

If you are not concerned by that then yes, you can fill the cavity with this stuffing, but you will need to increase the quantities.

Why do you grate and fry the onion?

Grating the onion breaks down the flesh in a much better way than chopping or blending but also leaves larger pieces.

Frying the resulting onion drives off much of the water and also gives a bit of colour to the onions. This gives this sage and onion stuffing a better flaovur and colour.

How do I cook this in a bowl?

If you want to cook this separately from the meat for your Sunday roast, just pile it into a shallow bowl. Push it down but don’t compress it too much.

Dot on a little butter or beef dripping and then bake for around 30-35 minutes.

Is this vegan or vegetarian?

Yes, these are naturally vegetarian and vegan, however, the minute that you put them in the roasting pan with the meat they lose those credentials.

But they can be roasted separately and you could substitute any fat for vegan butter or use a neutral cooking oil.

Can I cook these in an air fryer?

Yes, if you want to make these without the whole Sunday lunch malarky, they can be cooked in an air fryer.

Spray them with a little oil, then pop them in an air fryer and cook at 200°C or 400°F for 15-17 minutes.

I’m not much of a fan of adding pork products to Sunday lunches unless that pork product is a lump of pork like my roast pork fillet or crispy pork belly.

Serving Suggestions

These sage and onion stuffing balls have a real affinity with roast chicken and your Christmas turkey dinner.

But I’ve served these with all of my roast lunches at one point in time or another. Everything from roast pork to beef, lamb and even roast duck.

Of course, you also need all of the trimmings to go with them!

Don’t worry I’ve got recipes for everything from roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings to buttered cabbage to glazed Chantenay carrots!

But you don’t need to break out a Sunday lunch to enjoy these!

You can rustle up some simply cooked chicken legs or breasts, or even some pan-fried pork chops and pop theses on the side with some veggies.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• Oven.
• 30cm or 12″ frying pan.
• Mixing bowl.
• Stirring spoons.
• Grater.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.