Cheesy Sausage Rotel Cups

Name: Cheesy Sausage Rotel Cups
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 packs frozen mini phyllo shells; 16 oz hot breakfast sausage; 8 oz cream cheese; 1 cup Colby jack cheese (shredded); 8 oz Velveeta cheese; 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes & green chilies (drained)

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This recipe for Cheesy Sausage Rotel Cups combines the flavors of spicy sausage, Rotel tomatoes, Colby Jack cheese, and Velveeta in crispy mini phyllo shells. These are individual-serving appetizers with lots of texture and spicy flavor!

six individual sausage phyllo cups laid out on a wood counter.

If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Out of all of the delicious food I've had in my life, mine would be good old Rotel Dip.

I'm not kidding when I say I'm obsessed. You can ask my family - if the health factor didn't count, I would eat this every meal for the rest of my life. I make it just about every game day during football season and for any special occasion that calls for an easy appetizer. Sometimes, to put a little spin on it, I'll make these Cheesy Sausage Cups instead.

The recipe is a little different than the one I use for the dip, on purpose. Just adding Rotel dip would result in soggy, mushy phyllo cups - nobody wants that! After a little trial and error, I was able to make the adjustments to the dip that prevent soggy phyllo cups but still capture the rich, spicy flavor of a Rotel dip.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This is the perfect appetizer and it's ready in a matter of minutes. Having them in these handy dandy mini phyllo shells makes them single-serve appetizers that are way easier to eat on the go. You'll have less mess, and the crispy phyllo gives it a unique crunch that you don't get with tortilla chips.

Here's a warning though - if you take these to a party, don't expect to bring any extras home. They are always the hit of the get-together and you will get lots of requests for the recipe. They're addictive and a total crowd pleaser!

Rotel Cups Leftover Storage

I'll be honest - Rotel cup leftovers just aren't as good. I rarely have leftovers from this recipe...they are that yummy! But, if you do end up with a few extra cups, refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days after baking. They can be reheated in an oven or an air fryer for 4-6 minutes at 350 degrees.

The recipe makes a double serving of the filling (so enough for 6 packs of Phyllo shells). It's difficult to halve the recipe because of the amount of ingredients you can typically buy in a pack. I freeze the second half in a quart-sized Ziploc bag. When you need a quick appetizer, thaw the filling and pair with 3 more packs of phyllo cups!

Ingredients

3 packs frozen mini phyllo shells
16 oz hot breakfast sausage
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
8 oz Velveeta cheese
10 ounces Rotel tomatoes & green chilies, drained

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Recipe Variations

This recipe can definitely be changed up to your flavor profile.

Use bacon (or bacon bits) instead of sausage
Instead of breakfast sausage, use chorizo, Italian sausage, or andouille sausage
Instead of Rotel, use Italian diced tomatoes
Change up the cheese - instead of Colby jack, use pepper jack, cheddar, or Swiss cheese

Step by Step Instructions

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook, crumble, and drain sausage. Cut cream cheese and Velveeta into small chunks.

In a microwave-safe medium bowl, add cubed cream cheese, shredded Colby jack cheese, cubed Velveeta, and Rotel tomatoes. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir well, then stir in cooked sausage. (If cheese mixture is not completely melted at this point, microwave for another minute.)

Scoop cheese and sausage mixture into phyllo shells. Place shells on a nonstick cookie sheet.

cheesy sausage rotel cups on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

Reduce the liquid in your filling as much as possible. With this recipe, I recommend draining the Rotel well to avoid soggy shells.

No…that's one of the great things about this recipe! You can fill frozen phyllo shells and bake. They will come out of the oven with the perfect amount of crispness.

You can…it's just more work. You'll need to shape the puff pastry into small cups (a mini muffin pan would help with this). The puff pastry will result in softer, less crispy shells.

Thanks for checking out today's recipe! If you're an appetizer fan like me, you'll love the recipes I have linked below.

Related Appetizer Recipes

xo, Leslie - signature at the end of blog post.

If you tried this Cheesy Sausage Rotel Cups Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!