Easy Savory Cheese Ball

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It’s that time of year when we seem to indulge a little more than usual in the pre-dinner pickies.

Or you might be asked to bring something to a friend or family member’s home to add to a festive spread. Either way, we in the Women of Today Test Kitchen came up with this super easy recipe to check all the boxes. This Easy Savory Cheese Ball is a quick and tasty appetizer, and you might even have most of the ingredients in your kitchen.

WOT we like about this recipe: We used Neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese, it has 30% less fat, making it just a little better for you. Depending on your spice preference and tolerance, you can go ahead and turn the heat up or down by adjusting the hot sauce. Feel free to play with this recipe!

Easy Savory Cheese Ball

Ingredients

8 oz. softened Neufchatel cheese
1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
2 green onions, green and light green parts, finely sliced
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. hot sauce depending on your spice preference
pinch of sea salt
pinch of black pepper

Garnish

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts, we used our Rosemary Roasted Cashews
assorted crackers for serving

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add softened Neufchatel cheese along with all the other ingredients except the nuts.
Using a hand mixer, blend the ingredients until well incorporated. If you do not have a hand mixer, you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon, but fair warning, it will be a little workout.
Once all the ingredients are incorporated into the cheese, place the cheese in the center of a 12”x12” piece of plastic wrap. Bring the corners of the plastic wrap together diagonally and press the plastic wrap around the cheese. Lightly roll the plastic-wrapped cheese on the counter to make a nice round shape.
Place the cheese ball in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Using a dinner plate, place the finely chopped nuts in the center of the plate.
After 30 minutes, remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator, unwrap the cheese ball from the plastic wrap, and place it on top of the chopped nuts. Using your hands, gently press the chopped nuts into the cheese to cover.
At this point, you can plate and serve, or place into the refrigerator to use later.
Tip: If you do refrigerator after making, remove 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with assorted crackers.