These crispy, flavorful bites are my favorite finger food to make and eat because they’re so incredibly delicious, they’re crowd-pleasers, they’re easily made ahead of time, freeze well, and you can make them extra delicious by using homemade sausage and sauce, or you can do an extra quick version by using your favorite store-bought sausage and sauce. My favorite version of these is with a sausage is a mix of sweet and hot that I make from scratch with my homemade red sauce, for dipping. They’re perfect for game day, cocktail parties, or served with a big salad as a meal (at least in my house!).

Ingredients:

1 lb of your favorite Italian sausage (recipe for my Hot & Sweet Italian Sausage here!)

1 package (approximately 60) small square wonton or dumpling wrappers.

2 cups of your favorite Italian red sauce (recipe for my simple and delicious Red Sauce here!) 

How I make it:

• -Unwrap wonton wrappers, place pile on plate and cover with a wet paper towel.
• -Use a melon baller to scoop a small ball of filling and place just off center on top of the wonton wrapper (see picture below).
• -Dip finger in a small bowl of water and wet 2 adjacent sides of the wrapper and then fold to make a triangle, completely sealing the wet edges over the dry edges and making sure to work all of the air out from the inside of the dumpling.
• -Fold each of the 2 side corners toward the middle of the dumpling and use a drop of water to seal the dough.
• -Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and cover with a damp towel.
• -Finished dumplings can be shallow fried with oil in a skillet or frozen on the cookie sheet and then moved to labeled sealed bags (they do not need to be thawed before frying).

Tips:

• -Take your time getting the air out of the inside of the dumpling so that they don’t burst during cooking.
• -Enlist the help of others and have fun with it. This is a great recipe to make with kids!
• -Freeze your dumplings to take the pressure off for occasions when you don’t have the time or energy to do a lot of cooking.
• -Fry in batches, blot off excess oil, and keep warm on a sheet pan in the oven.

 

I know that you’re going to love these Italian Sausage Wontons at your next gathering! Don’t forget to tag Optimistic Kitchen when you post pictures of my recipes on social media! I love knowing that I’m helping to make your kitchen your happy place!

Happy Eating!

 

Related recipes:

Red Sauce

Hot & Sweet Italian Sausage

Versatile Turkey Dumpling Filling