Party Time Cheese Ball

I used to be kind of afraid of cheese balls--what were they, anyway? I never even heard of cheese balls until a few years ago, and even then they came from mix packets. But then last Christmas I was asked to bring a meat and cheese tray to a party. It was an hour away and I hate cheese when it starts to dry out. I figured a cheese ball would stay moist, so I broke down and made one. And I found out that they're delicious!

My go-to cheese ball recipe has bacon and cheddar cheese. So the first thing you'll need to do is cook your bacon.

While your bacon is cooking, get out a medium sized bowl and unwrap a room-temperature block of cream cheese.

Once your bacon is cooked, drain it and put it in with the cream cheese. Add two chopped scallions and some shredded cheddar cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle in some Worcestershire sauce.

And that's it! Now the trick is getting it into a ball shape.

I think one of the reasons I wasn't interested in cheese balls was their shape. I know it's not any different than truffles or round cookies, but the thought of someone touching the cheese ball to shape it was for some reason unappealing to me. Until now!

I scoop the cheese ball into a sandwich bag.

This recipe is enough to make two pretty large cheese balls.

Then I shape the cheese ball by pressing and rolling.

The added benefit of doing it this way is that it's an easy way to store the cheese ball until it's time to serve.

All rolled out!

For some festive color, I decided to roll the cheese ball in chopped herbs. I used parsley, but any other mild and bright herb would work.

Pretty!
















I let the cheese ball warm at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving. Spread it over some Ritz crackers! Try to stop yourself from eating the whole thing--because you'll want to!

Recipe: Party Time Cheese Ball

4-5 slices of bacon
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

fresh chopped herbs, chopped nuts, shredded cheese, etc.


Cook bacon until cooked. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, green onions, cheddar cheese, cooked bacon, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.

Scoop cheese ball into a sandwich bag. Form into a ball shape. Store for later or coat before serving.

To coat, roll cheese ball in herbs, nuts, shredded cheese, or any other desired coatings. Serve!