Description
Tangy, buttery, and just the right touch of sweet, Mississippi Lil’ Smokies are an effortless crowd-pleaser. A ranch-and-pepperoncini glaze bubbles into glossy, flavor-packed bites that are perfect for parties, game day, or holiday spreads. Bake in one pan, serve warm with toothpicks, and watch them vanish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb Lil’ Smokies (cocktail sausages)
- 1 packet (1 oz) ranch dressing mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 6–8 pepperoncini peppers, sliced (plus 2 tablespoons juice)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place Lil’ Smokies in a single layer in a 9×13-inch baking dish or large oven-safe skillet.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk melted butter, ranch mix, brown sugar, garlic powder, and pepperoncini juice until combined.
- Combine and bake: Pour sauce over the sausages and scatter sliced pepperoncini on top. Bake 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway, until bubbling and well coated.
- Serve: Keep warm and serve straight from the dish with toothpicks for easy grabbing.
Notes
- Use unsalted butter—ranch and sausages bring plenty of salt.
- Adjust sweet/heat: add or reduce brown sugar and pepperoncini to taste.
- Stir halfway to re-coat and promote even browning.
- Check label if gluten-free is needed; some ranch mixes and sausages contain gluten.
- To keep warm for parties, transfer to a slow cooker on Warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snack, Game Day, Holiday
- Method: Oven-baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~1/10 of recipe (about 4–5 sausages with sauce)
- Calories: 240 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 20.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
Keywords: Mississippi Lil’ Smokies, ranch pepperoncini sausages, cocktail sausages appetizer, baked smokies, game day snack