Spinach Pesto Cheese Ball
"From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch."
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaf, trimmed
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1⁄2 cup shredded cheese (Italian cheese blend)
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley
directions
- Toast pine nuts until golden brown on a baking dish in a preheated 325-degree oven, 6-8 minutes, or in a dry skillet, stirring constantly. Remove to a plate and let cool.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add spinach and basil; cook 3 minutes, until tender (or place in a microwave-safe dish, lightly cover with plastic wrap and cook on high 2 minutes). Drain in a colander; rinse under cold water. Press to extract excess moisture.
- Place spinach, basil, 1 cup Parmesan, shredded cheese blend, cream cheese, garlic and pepper to taste in food processor fitted with a metal blade; process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, parsley and pine nuts on a plate. Moisten your hands with water; roll the cheese mixture into a ball. Roll in the nut mixture to coat.
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Reviews
-
Delicious. It's still sitting in the fridge but it was good before it even sat. :D Thanks so much for a spinach dip recipe without a soup mix in it. I left out the pine nuts because I don't like them and I added a little shredded cheese to my final mix instead. MMMM MMM MMM -
Super quick and easy and so divine for an outdoor picnic. Made this for PAC. I used the dry skillet to toast nuts (as the heat here is high). Also dried the cooked basil and spinach with paper towels to remove excess moisture as they seemed way to damp for the mix. Served with champagne crackers to a family/friends gathering of 40 plus people. You were ranked in the top 5 hordeurves! Super job. Thank you.
