Ranch Sausage Stars - The Perfect Holiday Appetizer

These Ranch Sausage Stars are one of my favorite appetizers! I make these sausage stars for just about any holiday or family get together and they're always a hit! Baked wonton wrappers filled with browned sausage, ranch dressing and four cheese blend. 
Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing a quick little appetizer that we made for New Years Eve. Ranch Sausage Stars. These are a amazingly easy and delicious snack for any occasion not just New Years Eve. These yummy little ranch stars are great for your next holiday party, Superbowl or tailgating party, showers or any get together.

They're a snap to throw together and everyone will think you went to a whole lot of fuss preparing these. To even make it easier, you can prepare the filling ahead of time. Just mix the dressing together and add the cheese.

Store in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Brown up the sausage, drain and set that aside in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator. The little won ton shells can be pre baked ahead of time, just cool completely and store in a air tight container.

The day of you want to serve the appetizers just remove everything from the refrigerator and mix the filling together with the sausage. Fill the pre baked shells and continue baking as directed. It's as easy as that and a real time saver. The Won ton wrappers can be found at most grocery stores they are usually near the produce section by the tofu and bean sprouts.

This particular time I got a little tight and bought egg roll wrappers instead. They were the same price as the won ton wrappers, and I had egg rolls on my dinner menu for another day so I didn't want to buy two separate items. I just cut the egg roll wrappers into four squares and they worked perfectly. These are really yummy and everyone I make them for always asks for the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix dressing according to package directions. Add the cooked sausage, prepared dressing and cheese, mic together and chill for 30 minutes. Place one Wonton wrapper in a lightly greased standard size muffin tin. 

Just push them down in the muffin tin to form a little shell like cup.

Bake the cups for 5-7 minutes until very lightly golden. Be careful and try not to let them get too brown (because they will cook again later). Remove from oven and set aside to cool. 

Add 2 tablespoons of the sausage - cheese mixture into each wonton cup. 

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the filling. Cool the cups slightly before serving. 


Warning these are highly addictive!!!


Yield: 48
Author: Tina Butler | Mommy's Kitchen
Ranch Sausage Stars

Ranch Sausage Stars

These Ranch Sausage Stars are one of my favorite appetizers! I make these sausage stars for just about any holiday or family get together and they're always a hit! Baked wonton wrappers filled with browned sausage, ranch dressing and four cheese blend.
Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

  • 1 Package Original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix, (prepared according to package directions)
  • 1 (10 oz) package breakfast sausage, browned & drained
  • 1 (8 ounce) package Mexican 4 Cheese blend
  • 1/2 cup green or red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
  • 1 (12 ounce) package Wonton wrappers or (Egg roll wrappers cut into fours)

Instructions

  1. Cook and brown the sausage and drain off any grease, set aside. Mix the ranch dressing according to package directions.
  2. Add the dressing mixture to the sausage and add the cheese (if using bell pepper add now). Chill the mixture for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Place one wonton wrapper in a lightly greased mini muffin tin. Bake 5-7 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown. Watch them carefully so they don't get too brown.
  4. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Add one tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each wonton cup (I use my 1 inch cookie scoop). 
  5. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes or until cheese melts and the mixture is heated through.

Notes:

These wonton cups can be baked ahead of time and stored in a large ziplock bag (let them cool completely before storing in bag). I like to do this when I am headed to a get together. Store the filling in a covered tupperware bowl. Assemble the cups and bake when you get to your destination. This way the ranch cups are hot and not cold when eaten.

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73 comments

Dena E's Blog said…
Wow does this sound tasty and looks fun for the men in my life. Hope they are as easy to make as you make it sound,,, :0) thanks for all the info and snaps of your hard work.
Hugs Dena
I'm so excited as I added your logo thing to my blog,,how fun is that my 1 and only COOKING/RECIPE
guide..
Stacie said…
These sound really good. I think I am going to try these soon. I have the sausage in the freezer and was wondering what to do.
Jeanette said…
These sound so good. I emailed the recipe to my husband and am certain he will be asking me to make them soon.
Thank you for sharing.
Leslie said…
Ohhh soooo yummy! I am printing this one out! I sure am
Michele said…
My boyfriend's sister made these for NYE and they were awesome! She used sweet Italian sausage and I loved it. I'm glad to have seen the recipe here so I can make them too!
Laurie said…
Oh my.....these look wonderful....can't wait to try them!
NGato77 said…
OMG, these sound so delicious!
Yummmm! These look mighty tasty!
These sound great! I bet my house full of men will love these.
BTW - I'm a new subscriber and added you to my blogroll.
Thanks for all the great recipes!
~Liz
Debbie @ OtRD said…
Hi, stopping by from SITS. This is my first time to your blog and I'm loving it. Those look amazing!!
The JR said…
These are one of our favorite appetizers. I've been told to bring and make them at parties, even if we're not coming.

I had to make these for my friends daughter's wedding. 8 dozen of them!
Jane said…
These are delicious! I've made them before and everyone loved them!
Lindsay Rudolph said…
These look yummy and easy. I can always use another party/tailgating treat...thanks!
Oh, my, these look so good! I'm thinking my girls would love this type of thing with buffalo chicken and blue cheese dressing... we just may try them this weekend. Thanks for the great idea!
Holly said…
Hello MommysKitchen - those look delicious and sound so simple to make. I bet my boys would gobble those up. I found your blog through BlogFrog and wanted to stop by and say welcome! If you ever have any questions or suggestions for how we can improve, please let us know. We love hearing from bloggers like you.

So nice to discover your blog,

Holly (BlogFrog)
Lynn said…
Mmmm, these look yummy. I'll bet they ARE addictive. Those are the best kinds of recipes! Thanks for sharing.
Live.Love.Eat said…
I am a little sucker for wontons and wonton recipes. I always keep them in my freezer. They are the perfect little holder for yummy goodness such as this.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandra said…
I am assuming you mix the ranch dressing as package directs with sour cream? You want the thick dressing, correct?
Oh, these look so good! I'm always looking for quick and easy appetizer recipes! Need to put wonton wrappers on my grocery list - never bought them before! Thanks for sharing where to look! :-) (Do you know if you can freeze the unused wrappers to use later?)
Tina Butler said…
Sandra yes you prepare the dressing as directed then add the cooked sausage and cheese.
Anonymous said…
I always love what you have on your blog, so I gave you an award, stop by to pick it up! anne

www.anniebakes.blogspot.com
Susan Mallery said…
Wow, those look deeeelicious! I just started a low carb diet, so I'm trying to think of how I could modify this. I think I could make the filling and just bake the filling by itself, and then put a spoonful on a piece of lettuce and wrap it up to eat. Doesn't sound nearly as good, but those are the sacrifices one must make when forgoing carbs.

By the way, I just put a recipe for Quick & Easy Creamy Chicken Ranch Soup in a Dear Reader letter on my website. (I'm an author.) SusanMallery.com if you're interested. It's on my Facebook page, too.
NGato77 said…
I made these last night and they turned out WAAAAYYY too salty. I'm thinking I did something wrong with the mixing of the ranch dressing? Is it saltier because it comes in powder form? Any suggestions?
Julie Bagamary said…
These look yummy and easy to make. Thanks.
Samantha said…
These look delicious!
Anonymous said…
these look so easy and I want to try them today! Thank you!!
Anonymous said…
Has anyone tried these in a mini-muffin pan? Would the won ton wrappers would be too big? I'm having a party this weekend and would love to try them.
Anonymous said…
I made these twice, once with mini-muffin tins and once with regular sized ones. First let me say they were very good. The first time I sort of goofed up the recipe since I was in a hurry. But even with that I served them at a party and everyone loved them. Not so easy to do in a mini pan because the tops get too brown and some folded over while they were baking the first time. That made it hard to fill the shells. I think it would be hard to go wrong with this recipe. I'll make them again for sure.
Anonymous said…
How many does this make?
Anonymous said…
On the sausage stars, what is the oven temp?
Tina Butler said…
It is 350 degrees. Thank for catching that I amm off to fix it now.
Karen said…
Tina....Thanks so much for the recipe...It is so wonderful...I added some well drained green chilies to mine. They were delicious! So fun and festive looking...Everyone was saying..."Wow what are these?" then they were asking for the recipe!
Thanks!!
The Kelly's said…
Well I finally have some where to go that I could make these! WOW, I am glad I did they are GREAT! I used Turkey Sausage (I am not a big pork sausage person) The substitution turned out great. I can't wait to see what reaction the girls give me at game night! Thanks Tina, for all your wonderful recipes!

Brit~
Anonymous said…
We love these! Our family has made them for YEARS!! We always have them Christmas morning and on birthdays and such. No one around here has ever heard of them, so I was suprised when I saw a recipe for them in your Super Bowl e-mail this morning :)The only thing we do different is we put sliced black olives instead of any peppers.

Laura V.
Pamela said…
Do you have any recipes for wonton wrappers? They're so hard to find a lot of the time!
Tina Butler said…
If you can't find wonton wrappers you can always use egg roll wrappers. Just cut them in 4's. Sometimes they are cheaper so that is what I do. If you are worried about them going bad after just using some of them. They are freezable.
Tina Butler said…
These do not work in mini muffin cups. The only way is if you cut the wonton wrappers, but they minis are to small for the filling. I have never had a problem with these being to salty. Did you prepare the dressing mix according to package directions first? or did you just add it dry? I you just added it dry then that could be why. The recipe states to prepare the dressing according to packet directions first.
Mikki said…
I actually used the spicy ranch mix and that with the spicy sausage I used created a great flavor- these went over great- thanks so much for sharing recipe!
Donna said…
These have been one of my all-time favorite appetizers for years. I make them ahead of time by baking the wontons and then putting them into a gallon-size ziploc bag. Also make the filling and cover and pop it into the fridge. Just fill and bake when ready to serve. So good!
Jennmacc said…
Can I just say that I love your site?!! Of all the cooking blogs I read and cookbooks I have, yours is my go-to! I get rave reviews every time I make your dishes...especially your loaded baked potato soup. I gave all the ladies in my church group your website address after they tried that soup and had to have recipe! Thanks for all you do that makes me look good in my kitchen!
Anonymous said…
Just made these for outdoor dinner party....gave guests a couple of appetizers to choose from- stuffed olives ( stuffed with everything from sun dried tomatoes to blue and feta cheese), herb goat cheese with pita chips and home-made avocado-salsa. Everyone agreed your Hidden Valley wonton stars were the best thing. They loved them!! Great recipe!

* wonton wrappers were hard to find...finally found them in chilled section of produce in Fresh Market/Whole Foods. Also, I used medium sharp Cracker Barrel cheese (shredded it myself) and sprinkled in some taco powder seasoning instead of using the pre-shredded mexi cheese. Fresh is always better.
Jennmacc
Maggie said…
I'm working with a toaster oven instead of a full size, so my muffin tin doesn't fit. Instead of doing the cups, I just put some filling on the wrapper, then folded it, sealed it, and baked them that way. Not as crunchy as the cups might be but tasted absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe, and I love your site!
Epilady said…
I have made these for years as well I use hamburger because sausage hurts my stomach, the only things I do different besides use hamburger is I chop mushrooms an olives an add those as well also I put alot of cheese on top an let it bubble, they are a HUGE hit an we make them all the time.
Emil said…
These look wonderful! Perfect snack for a garden party and more creative than normal snacks and fingerfood! Love it!
Stefanie said…
I use bacon in mine (in addition to the sausage). I usually use a package of the kind that is with the salad dressings so that I can save time. Also, I don't use vegetables in mine, although my original recipe called for diced black olives.
Emil said…
Beautiful appetizers, such a nice thing to make for a picknick!
Anonymous said…
These are so yummy! My dad makes these for get togethers and he uses those tortilla chips shaped like cups, just lay some out on a baking sheet and fill with sausage filling bake untill they look done :) They are so addicting!
Anonymous said…
So I make the ranch mix as if I were making it for my salad?! Just seems like so much mayo. Hmmm feel like I am missing something.
Tina Butler said…
It is one cup milk, one cup mayonaise and the dry dressing mix. Mix those together and then you add the cooked sausage and the cheese and blend it together.
Unknown said…
I've got these in the oven right now! I can't wait to try them! I only did 12 to start with but I've got the rest of the sausage/ranch/cheese mix in the fridge for tomorrow.
Unknown said…
These were absolutely amazing! I only used 1/2 the sausage and cheese mix last night and it made 12 stars. Today I added a drained can of Rotel (per my husband's suggestion) to the leftover sausage and cheese mix and was able to make 18 stars. The Rotel made the recipe even better which is amazing b/c the original is so delicious! If you were making the whole recipe, I'd add two cans of Rotel and you could probably get 36 "stars". Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe! My husband wants me to make them again tomorrow for his Monday Night Football boys.
Lizard Rae said…
Delicious! Just made these for football yesterday. We made them in the mihi muffin pans, used hot sausage, and added pimientos. So good, thanks for sharing!
Anonymous said…
Thanks Tina.
Krissy
Anonymous said…
Going to try this today. Thanks for sharing!!
Kim said…
I can't wait to try these!
Happy Texas Mama said…
These are great! I also added chopped black olives to them. Made them for a light dinner last night along with salad. My kids and hubby loved them! I stored the leftovers in the fridge and just pulled some out for lunch. Heated them up in the microwave and WOW they are excellent even second day. The shells soften up and it's almost similar to a sausage ravioli. Quite delicious :) Thanks for all your great recipes!
Anonymous said…
Made these today and served them with Sriracha sauce. Yummy!
Anonymous said…
No....mayo and milk....
Tina Butler said…
Anonymous,
The recipe states 1 - Package Original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix, (prepared according to package directions).
Michele F. said…
Awesome! I am going to make these for my Wine & Wrinkles Party on Friday....thanks for the yummy share!
Anonymous said…
I have been making these for about 25 years. My grandkids want them for any kind of get together. We are making them for Thanksgiving. When I make these , I cheat a little. I make the won ton wrappers ahead of time. When they are cool, I store them in my Huge Tupperware salad bowl that I've had for 45 years. Than I make the mixture that you put inside. I put that in a covered bowl and put in fridge. Can be made ahead of time. Even a couple of days. Than when ready to eat them just put several of the wrappers on a microwaveable dish, fill with mixture and throw in microwave for a minute (when it starts to boil) and they are ready to go. We make a lot of these. We usually have about 35-40 people. They disappear quickly. We eat these while playing board games and have a BLAST!! ENJOY!!!
Natalie said…
Second time making these! I made them last year for our Christmas Cookie Exchange and they were a hit! Making them tonight for our party again. Thank you for sharing!!!
Jennifer said…
Can I use filo dough? I bought the wrong thing!
hayley said…
I made these with chicken and they were delicious!!!! Everyone loved them!!
Unknown said…
I made these this weekend and they were delicious. However, I am also confused about preparing the ranch dressing. Everyone keeps saying prepare according to package directions BUT the package has directions for ranch dressing and for ranch dip. Which do you use? I used the ranch dressing and they were a little runny but still good. I would like to know how they are supposed to be prepared--with the ranch dressing or dip recipe?
Tina Butler said…
Package Original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix, (prepared according to package directions) for dressing not dip. It should not be runny since you are adding sausage and cheese. I can't tell you what you did as Ir have never had that happen. With all the ingredients added it should thicken up.
Unknown said…
Tina, thanks so much for responding! Just wanting to make sure I made them correctly with the milk and mayo. They really weren't too runny just a little runnier than I would prefer. Everyone gobbled them up and kept asking who made them, what was in them, etc. They just couldn't get enough! Thanks so much!
Unknown said…
Making now......
Anonymous said…
I have made these many times using a ranch dip packet and sour cream and they turn out great!
Anonymous said…
These are so yummy! I receive so many compliments when I make them! and they are a truly unique appetizer addition to any party or gathering. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
First off, these are AMAZING! I made mine with the buttermilk mix and added the pepper...YUM! We had a Christmas celebration late because family members were away, so all of us got together and made tidbits for our Christmas dinner. There was just so much that we couldn't eat it all. I did have a number of them left over, more because people just couldn't eat anymore (there was a lot of food). We started out eating them cold....lol, they were pretty good that way, however I tried heating some of them up in my brand new air fryer and they were as amazing as they were the day I made them. I have some other ideas on this recipe that I'm thinking of trying. If you are looking for an easy and quick hors d'oeuvre, this one is it! Thanks for sharing as always Tina! :)
Dee said…
My sister started making these a few years ago using her mini muffin tin, they make the perfect appetizer. I actually made some last night as wontons and little purse is in my air fryer they were still delicious.
Lyds85 said…
Came across this recipe and tried it today, WOW! So good!! Thank you!!!