Description
My Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball is an easy to make appetizer and absolutely scrumptious! It will be the delicious showstopping centerpiece of your next girl’s night, tailgating party, holiday buffet or family gathering.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated fresh (I grated on the fine size of my box grater, not the large.)
- 6 strips Bacon, thick cut, (cooked crisp, drained and finely chopped)
- 1 (8 oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup Crushed Pineapple, very well drained
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, minced
- 3 Tablespoons Red Onion, minced
- 2 Tablespoons barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Be sure to continue mixing until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and evenly distributed.
- Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve with crackers, melt it on bruschetta or use it to fill celery or cherry tomatoes.
Notes
How to Decorate a Cheese Ball Like a Pumpkin
- I grated 1 1/2 cups more Sharp Cheddar cheese (with the fine side of the grater) and rolled the chilled cheese ball in the cheese. I kept rolling until the entire Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball was covered in Cheddar cheese and looked like a bright orange ball.
- Next, I set it on the counter and flattened it slightly to give it more of the short and wide appearance of a pumpkin. And then, using my thumb, I pressed a dimple into the center of the top of the Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
- Then I used the handle of a butter knife to PRESS indentations into the top and sides of the Pineapple and Bacon Cheese Ball, to represent the indentations on the side of a pumpkin. The only tip I need to give you here is to press rather than drag the knife handle. Pressing makes the indentation beautifully, but dragging pulls the cheese away from the outside of the pineapple cheese ball.
- Once you have created your pumpkin indentations, trim the stem away from a bell pepper and press it into the dimple made in the top of the Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
- Voila! A cheese ball decorated as a pumpkin.
- I grated 1 1/2 cups more Sharp Cheddar cheese (with the fine side of the grater) and rolled the chilled cheese ball in the cheese. I kept rolling until the entire Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball was covered in Cheddar cheese and looked like a bright orange ball.
- Next, I set it on the counter and flattened it slightly to give it more of the short and wide appearance of a pumpkin. And then, using my thumb, I pressed a dimple into the center of the top of the Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
- Then I used the handle of a butter knife to PRESS indentations into the top and sides of the Pineapple and Bacon Cheese Ball, to represent the indentations on the side of a pumpkin. The only tip I need to give you here is to press rather than drag the knife handle. Pressing makes the indentation beautifully, but dragging pulls the cheese away from the outside of the pineapple cheese ball.
- Once you have created your pumpkin indentations, trim the stem away from a bell pepper and press it into the dimple made in the top of the Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
- Voila! A cheese ball decorated as a pumpkin.
- grated 1 1/2 cups more Sharp Cheddar cheese (with the fine side of the grater) and rolled the chilled cheese ball in the cheese. I kept rolling until the entire Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball was covered in Cheddar cheese and looked like a bright orange ball.
- Next, I set it on the counter and flattened it slightly to give it more of the short and wide appearance of a pumpkin. And then, using my thumb, I pressed a dimple into the center of the top of the Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
- Then I used the handle of a butter knife to PRESS indentations into the top and sides of the Pineapple and Bacon Cheese Ball, to represent the indentations on the side of a pumpkin. The only tip I need to give you here is to press rather than drag the knife handle. Pressing makes the indentation beautifully, but dragging pulls the cheese away from the outside of the pineapple cheese ball.
- Once you have created your pumpkin indentations, trim the stem away from a bell pepper and press it into the dimple made in the top of the Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
- Voila! A cheese ball decorated as a pumpkin.
- Prep Time: 7 min
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Cold Prep
- Cuisine: American