Juicy Italian sausages split open around a mozzarella cheese stick, then baked in marinara until the cheese melts into the sauce. My stuffed Italian sausage takes 5 minutes to assemble, with just 3 ingredients and 2.8g net carbs per link.
I love the dinners I can put together without digging out a recipe card. This stuffed Italian sausage is one of them, right alongside my pizza bowl. A pack of sausage, the mozzarella sticks my kids snack on, and a jar of marinara: that's the whole shopping list.
The cheese stick is the shortcut. It slips into a cut down the sausage and melts into a soft, stretchy center while everything bakes. Leave the bottom of the casing connected so it holds the filling, and keep the dish covered to hold in moisture.
These are ingredients I like to have on hand for a night with no dinner plan, but raw sausage needs to be cooked or frozen within 1–2 days. Keep a pack in the freezer if you're shopping farther ahead. The cheese sticks and unopened marinara are easier to keep around.
Once the sausages are baked, spoon that cheesy marinara over keto spaghetti, or serve them with roasted asparagus. The recipe uses 1/2 cup of sauce for five links; extra sauce for noodles is an addition, so account for it separately if you're tracking carbs.
Ways to customize it
Start with mozzarella for the classic stretchy center. For a little heat, use a pepper jack cheese stick, or sprinkle red pepper flakes into the marinara. Pepperoni on top gives it more of a pizza flavor.
Keep the slit only halfway deep, whichever cheese you choose. Loose fillings are harder to contain than a cheese stick. For a dinner built around peppers, onions and plenty of cheese, try my Philly cheesesteak casserole.
Choosing the right marinara
I like a jarred marinara with no added sugar for this. Compare the carbs and the serving size on the label; tomato sauces still contain naturally occurring sugars.
Plain tomato sauce is an option if that’s what you have. Add dried basil, oregano or garlic to give it more flavor. Use the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe, or add extra for serving and count that separately from the nutrition below.
Storage and meal prep
Leftovers: Refrigerate in a shallow, airtight container within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below and use within 3–4 days.
Make ahead: Stuff the raw sausages, add the sauce and cover the dish. Refrigerate promptly and bake within the raw sausage’s 1–2 day storage window, counted from purchase. A cold dish may take longer; check the sausage meat reaches 160°F, or 165°F for poultry.
Freeze: Wrap the unbaked dish tightly and freeze for 1–2 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking, using a baking dish suitable for the temperature change. Keep it covered and use the same internal-temperature check.
Reheat: Add a spoonful of marinara to keep the sausage moist, cover loosely and heat until the center reaches 165°F. Microwave time varies with portion size and appliance power.
How to make stuffed Italian sausages
Slit: Cut halfway through each raw sausage lengthwise, leaving the bottom connected.
Stuff: Tuck one unwrapped mozzarella cheese stick into each slit.
Layer: Spread half the marinara in a square baking dish, add the sausages, then spoon the rest over them.
Bake: Cover with foil and bake at 400°F for about 40 minutes. Check the sausage meat reaches 160°F, or 165°F for poultry sausage.
Key ingredients
Italian sausage: Use raw links with casings. Mild, hot or sweet refers to the seasoning; check the actual label for added sugar and carbs.
Mozzarella cheese sticks: Use string cheese from the refrigerated snack aisle, not breaded mozzarella sticks. One stick fits inside each sausage.
Marinara: Choose a sauce you like with no added sugar. The recipe uses 1/2 cup, divided between the bottom and top of the dish.
Using a knife, cut a vertical slit down the center of each sausage. Only go halfway through.
3
Stuff it
Unwrap each cheese stick and stuff each cheese stick into the slit of the sausages.
4
Get saucy
Pour 1/4 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of a square baking dish. Add stuffed sausages. Top with remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning if using.
5
Bake
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400°F for about 40 minutes, until the sausage meat reaches 160°F on a food thermometer (165°F for poultry sausage). Check the meat beside the cheese filling, not just the melted cheese.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 link
Calories
302
Fat
22.8g
Protein
20.2g
Total carbs
3g
Net carbs
2.8g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep do you cut the slit in the sausage?
I go about halfway through the thickness. You want the sausage to open wide like a hot dog bun, but the bottom needs to stay connected. If I cut too deep, the cheese leaks out during baking and I lose that gooey center when I cut into it.
Do you remove the foil at the end to brown the sausage?
I leave the foil on for the full 40 minutes. The sausage picks up enough color from the sauce, and pulling the foil off early dries everything out. If you really want more browning on top, take the foil off for the last 5 minutes, but I've never felt like mine needed it.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
I haven't fully dialed this in, but it works at about 3 hours on low, as long as the sausage reaches 160 degrees inside. The cheese melts more completely than in the oven, so the stuffing won't hold its shape as neatly. I'd use a full cup of sauce since slow cookers don't reduce liquid the way an oven does.
Are the sausages raw or pre-cooked going in?
I use raw sausage with casings. The 40 minutes at 400 degrees cooks them through completely, which for pork sausage means 160 degrees internal. You can use pre-cooked if that's what you have on hand. Just cut the bake time to about 25 minutes since they only need to heat through and melt the cheese.
Does hot sausage change the cook time?
No. Hot and mild cook the same way and take the same 40 minutes. The only difference is heat level. I skip the sweet variety because it runs higher in sugar, and that matters when I'm keeping my carbs low.
What marinara sauce do you use?
I look for anything with 4g net carbs or less per serving and no added sugar on the ingredient list. My go-to changes depending on what's on sale, but I always read the label first. If I can't find a good jarred option, I use plain tomato sauce with some dried Italian seasoning and garlic.
How do I reheat leftovers without drying them out?
I add a splash of extra marinara to the container before microwaving for about 90 seconds. The sauce keeps the sausage moist and the cheese re-melts properly. Without that extra sauce, my leftovers get rubbery and the cheese turns tough.
Can I use hot dogs instead of sausage?
I've done it. Skip the marinara and use a cheddar cheese stick instead of mozzarella. My kids actually prefer this version as an after-school snack. The flavor works better without the tomato sauce.
What is the recipe for stuffed Italian sausage with cheese stick?
I cut a slit halfway through 5 Italian sausage links, stuff a mozzarella cheese stick into each, pour 1/2 cup marinara over and around them, then cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Each link has 302 calories and 2.8g net carbs.
In my family, stuffed sausages meant an all-afternoon project with half the vegetable drawer. Three ingredients felt almost reckless. It works, but the sausage is carrying this thing.
Hi Carla, that one got cut too deep. I stop right around halfway through the thickness so the bottom stays hinged, and the cheese has nowhere to run. The leaky end going first is real though, that puddle of melted mozzarella in the marinara is the best bite in the pan.
Cut these in half before setting them out. The cheese pocket is still basically lava after 40 minutes. Brought these to game night last month and someone’s whole trivia streak tanked because she was too busy dealing with the mozzarella.
I feel responsible for that trivia streak. Cutting in half doubles the pieces and the cheese redistributes instead of hitting you with one lava pocket. Hope the streak recovered, Aisha.
Slit, not a hole. I cut lengthwise about halfway through the sausage, like opening a hot dog bun, but leave the bottom of the casing connected. That’s what holds the cheese stick in while it bakes.
Not gonna lie, I can’t just put raw sausage in a baking dish without searing it first, so I did two minutes a side in cast iron before stuffing. The sear changed more than I expected. The casing firms up just enough that the slit actually grips the cheese stick instead of springing back open (my issue with stuffed sausages forever), and the outside comes out with real color on it. Looks and tastes way better. Cheese stayed fully intact, possibly more contained than going in raw. Lost a little in the pan and ate it immediately, not unhappy about it. Four stars because the three-ingredient version is already doing a lot and the sear is just me being unable to help myself, but I’m doing it every time.
I didn’t expect the casing to grip the slit open from a quick sear. I’ve just been shoving them in raw and losing half the cheese. Whatever you lost in the pan was probably the best part anyway.
Confession: cold cheese sticks go in so much easier. Ten minutes in the freezer while the oven preheats and they slide right in without splitting or squishing. Nothing leaking before it even hits the dish.
Made this most Thursdays for the past couple months. The slit needs to be deep enough that the cheese stick sits flush inside the sausage; otherwise you lose a good chunk of mozzarella to the bottom of the pan before the sauce even shows up. Switched to Rao’s marinara a few batches back and honestly the difference is real, worth it if you have it. One thing: the sausages along the edges dry out faster than the ones in the center, so I spoon extra sauce over those before covering with foil. Four stars because of that, but under an hour start to finish with almost no cleanup is hard to argue with on a weeknight.
I’ve made stuffed sausages probably a dozen different ways at this point. Cream cheese, spinach, shredded parm, you name it. The mozzarella stick method is something I should have tried years ago. Cheese stays contained in a way that loose shredded cheese never does, none of those little pools of grease-cheese bubbling out onto the pan. Added a bit more Rao’s on top before covering with foil and it came out of the oven looking like it took way more effort than it did. My one note: go closer to 45 minutes if your sausages are on the thicker side, mine needed a little more time all the way through. Four stars only because I had to figure that out on my first batch, second batch was exactly what I was going for. Three ingredients, dinner handled on a Wednesday. That’s all I needed.
I kept passing on this one because three ingredients felt too simple to bother with. Made it on a night when I had nothing else planned, and I was completely wrong about it. The mozzarella melts into the sausage as it bakes, so you get this pull of cheese with every bite, and the marinara on the bottom caramelizes a little around the edges. I’ve made stuffed sausages before with all the usual peppers and onions, but this version has more payoff with less effort.
The marinara caramelizes more than you’d think for just 40 minutes under foil. I gave up on peppers and onions in stuffed sausages for the same reason.
The mozzarella pull when you cut into these is a real moment. Half a cup of marinara goes fast at 400 degrees, and the sausage ends up drier than you’d want. Going with a full cup next time, most of it over the top.
I’ve been following you for little over a year now. This was a really great recipe! I make it about twice a week. It takes no time at all to make. I was thinking about pairing it with the avocado chips or avocado fries. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
I haven’t tested a slow cooker version. My earlier three-hour suggestion was an estimate, not a tested cooking time; I recommend using the oven method in the recipe.
Thank you for this fun and inventive recipe! I cook with Italian sausage a lot, so I was looking for ways to switch it up. My son took one look at this dish, and said “You’re making that, right?” It’s in the oven now and I’m pretty excited.
