Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe
There's nothing that brings the family together quite like a ball of cheese ... because let's be honest here for a minute, who doesn't love a big ol' hunk of cheese? This Christmas cheese ball is perfect for several different occasions, including a family gathering or a party with friends, and it makes a wonderful starter for any main course. One of the best parts about this recipe is that it's really simple to make, and it's definitely affordable, too. Who doesn't love the sound of that?
This cheese ball also looks incredibly festive with red pepper, walnuts, and a little pop of green from the chopped parsley. This totally screams Christmas, and that's just one more reason to love it. Recipe developer Susan Olayinka came up with this tasty dish that looks great and tastes fantastic. "What's not to like about cheese! ... Cheese and fresh veggies are a win!" Olayinka raves, adding that the soft cheese and walnuts create a "great mix of textures." We love the sound of that! Keep scrolling to find out how to make this wonderful and filling cheese ball.
Gather the ingredients for this Christmas cheese ball
Once you are ready to start, gather all of the ingredients necessary to make this recipe. Start with some walnuts and a little bit of curly parsley. You will also need a red pepper and two cups of cream cheese. To include a bit more cheesy goodness, add some shredded cheddar cheese to your cart as well. Then, grab some chives and black pepper. The recipe also calls for one optional ingredient — crackers to serve with this ball of cheese.
First, chop the vegetables
Once you have all of your ingredients in front of you, it's time to start the prep work. Luckily, this recipe only takes 10 minutes to make, and it's pretty mindless work. Take out a cutting board and chop up your walnuts into tiny little pieces. Then, grab the parsley and chop that as well. Next, throw the red pepper on the cutting board and guess what? You will need to chop that as well. Can you sense the theme here? Last but not least, you will need to cut the chives into smaller pieces. Olayinka says that you should cut the veggies "as small as you can so [they] will stick."
Divide the chopped ingredients, and mix the cream cheese
Now, take out two bowls and divide the ingredients evenly. This includes chopped walnuts, parsley, red pepper, chives, and shredded cheese. Set the bowls to the side because you will need them again in a bit. Then, place the cream cheese into another bowl and mix it so that it's more malleable.
Add half of the chopped ingredients from one bowl and the black pepper in with the cream cheese, and mix well. This is the start of your cheeseball. There are still a few more steps to take, but doesn't it already look wonderful?
Wrap the cheese ball, and chill
Now, spoon the cream cheese ball into a plastic cling wrapper and form a circle with cheese. You should just be able to form it with your hands or roll it on the counter to make a ball. Wrap the cheese up tightly and put it in the fridge for 2 hours. Once your 2-hour timer buzzes, remove the cheese from the refrigerator. Olayinka says that you should chill the cheese ball ahead of time, "so it hardens." That makes sense to us! The harder the cheese ball, the easier it will be to work with. Let's be honest — who wants warm cheese?
Roll the cheese in the chopped ingredients, and serve
Sprinkle the remainder of your chopped ingredients on a plate, mix them up, and begin to roll the cheese ball around. The ingredients should start sticking to the outside of the cheese, making a festive little ball. Once you finish covering the cheese ball in ingredients, it's good to go!
Feel free to plate this as you wish and serve it with whatever you like. Olayinka says that she would recommend serving the ball, "with crackers or veggies like celery and carrots." Leftovers won't be great, and Olayinka notes, "I would eat it fresh!"
- 1 ½ cups walnuts
- ½ cup curly parsley
- ½ red pepper
- 2 cups cream cheese
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 20 stalks chives
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- assorted crackers, for serving
- Get a chopping board and chop the walnuts, curly parsley, red pepper, and chives into smaller pieces.
- Divide the chopped ingredients and the shredded cheddar cheese equally into two bowls.
- Place the cream cheese into a separate mixing bowl and mix it until it is more malleable.
- Add half of the cheddar cheese mixture to the cream cheese and combine them together.
- Spoon the blend into a clingfilm wrapper, forming a ball. Wrap it up and put it in the fridge for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours take the cheese ball out of the fridge.
- Place the remainder of the cheddar cheese mixture on a large plate and use your hands to mix the ingredients together uniformly.
- Place the cheese ball in the middle of the plate and begin to roll it around so that the ingredients stick to the exterior surface.
- Once the cheese ball is covered in the ingredients, serve it with crackers.
| Calories per Serving | 380 |
| Total Fat | 36.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 113.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.7 g |
| Sodium | 415.7 mg |
| Protein | 9.0 g |
