Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball Recipe

No matter the time of year, the bright and bold flavors of this Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball Recipe are sure to delight your guests. It’s the perfect autumn appetizer!

In this Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball Recipe, the humble cheeseball gets a makeover with dried tomatoes, Italian cheeses, and a variety of seasonings. These intense flavors are the perfect complement to your favorite crackers, crudités, or chips.

Inspired by my Everything Bagel Cheeseball and my Apple-Shaped Cheeseballs, I looked to one of my favorite flavors, sun-dried tomatoes, to inspire this delicious recipe!

How to make a Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball:

Because I first made this cheeseball in the fall, I pumpkin-ified it. To do this, I removed a stem from a small pumpkin* and inserted it into the top of the cheeseball. Then I used a chopstick to create grooves from the base of the pumpkin to the stem.

*Tip: I recommend cutting off the very top of the real pumpkin and then peeling away the pumpkin flesh so that only the stem remains. Attempting to just snap off the stem may cause it to break.

In case you don’t have any small pumpkins, you could make a faux stem by drizzling balsamic vinegar on a thin breadstick and toasting it in the oven to deepen the color. Using a pretzel rod is another alternative.

I love the coloring of this Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball and how the spices and bread crumbs give it great texture and depth.

However, if you prefer an intense orange color, let me suggest rolling it in Nacho Cheese Doritos instead of the breadcrumb mixture. Just put the Doritos in a large plastic baggie and smash them with a rolling pin. Pulverized, they are the perfect shade of orange.

That’s how I made these little mini cheeseballs to go along with my larger one.

This cheeseball is outstanding as a pumpkin, but you could shape it in another way that fits the season and your party theme. It could be a sun this time of year or a football in the fall.

No matter how you shape and finish the Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball, the flavor is just what you’d expect – rich and savory and bursting with sun-dried tomato goodness. Yum!

Also, if you like my festive fall cheeseball display, check out my “Fall Entertaining in the Kitchen” post HERE.

If you liked these pumpkin-inspired cheeseballs, I bet you’ll love these too:

• Everything Bagel Cheeseball
• Apple-Shaped Cheeseballs
• Mini Cheeseballs (Cheeseball Truffles)
• Buffalo Chicken Cheeseball

Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball Recipe:

Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball

No matter the time of year, the bright and bold flavors of this Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball Recipe are sure to delight your guests. It’s the perfect autumn appetizer!

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizer, cheese ball, cheeseball

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 195kcal

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup finely shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and blotted (to remove excess oil)
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• Thin crisp breadsticks and crackers for serving

Instructions

• In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella, parmesan, and sun-dried tomatoes. Form the mixture into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for an hour.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, oregano, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Once the cheeseball has set, roll it in the bread crumb mixture to evenly coat.
• (To make your cheeseball resemble a pumpkin, add a real or faux pumpkin stem to the top. Then use the tip of a chopstick or the back of a butter knife to create grooves.)
• Serve with thin, crisp breadsticks and crackers.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1140IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 1mg