This simple marinated cheese appetizer is made with cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and marinated in an herby vinaigrette. Delicious served alongside crackers or pita chips!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Cheddar cheese
- Cream cheese
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar- could also use white wine vinegar
- Fresh basil- chopped
- Fresh parsley- chopped
- Green onion- chopped
- Pimentos- diced
- Garlic- minced
- Sugar
- Salt
Why you’ll love this recipe:
If you thought marinating was only intended for meats and vegetables, think again! I’m a big advocate for marinades because they add tons of flavor to my weeknight meals, but I never thought of marinating cheese until a friend told me about how amazing it is! Man was I missing out!
This marinated cheese packs in some serious flavor and is incredibly easy to make! It’s as simple as slicing and stacking the cheeses in your serving dish, then pouring on the marinade and letting it sit for a few hours before serving.
How to make the best marinated cheese:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, herbs, green onion, garlic, pimentos, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine, then set aside.
- Cut your block of cheddar cheese and block of cream cheese in half lengthwise, then into 1/4 inch slices to form squares. I got about 30 squares out of each block of cheese.
- Arrange the cheeses in a shallow baking dish, alternating between the two varieties as you go. Once arranged, pour the marinade evenly over top.
- Cover the dish with foil or cling wrap and transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
- Serve alongside your choice of crackers or pita chips.
I think it’s important for all of us to have some quick and easy recipes in our back pockets for entertaining, and this marinated cheese is a hit every single time. This easy appetizer only takes 10 minutes to assemble, is great for nearly any occasion, and is perfect for making ahead of time!
My top tips:
- FRESH HERBS: Although it’s a little more time consuming to chop all the fresh herbs for this recipe compared to just using the dried stuff, it’s worth it! The fresh basil and parsley add so much flavor to the marinade and really makes the presentation pop!
- USE COLD CHEESE: I find it much easier to cut the cream cheese when it is cold right out of the fridge. If you find that the cheese is sticking to your knife, try spraying your knife with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- CHEESE VARIETIES: Feel free to mix up your choice of cheeses! I do recommend sticking to one hard cheese and one soft cheese just to get a variety of texture, but you do you!
- MARINATING: The longer these cheeses marinate, the better they get! The cheeses really soak up the savory flavors of this bright and tangy marinade, but it’s important you give them at least few hours of marinating in the fridge before digging in!
Looking for more easy appetizers? Try these out!
Marinated Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb block cheddar cheese
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
For the marinade:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar white wine vinegar works too
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1 (2 oz) jar diced pimentos drained
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, herbs, green onion, garlic, pimentos, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine, then set aside.
- Cut your block of cheddar cheese and block of cream cheese in half lengthwise, then into 1/4-inch slices to form squares. I got about 30 squares out of each block of cheese.
- Arrange the cheeses in a shallow baking dish, alternating between the two varieties as you go. Once arranged, pour the marinade evenly over top.
- Cover the dish with foil or cling wrap and transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
- Serve alongside your choice of crackers or pita chips.
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