There is nothing like a good charcuterie board. Scratch that. There is nothing like a good cheese board. Making a meal out of cheese, bread and crackers is my idea of heaven due in no small part to my study abroad experience where eating pain et fromage was life.
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I love whipping up a bowl of marinated mozzarella cheese balls for a last minute gathering. And if fresh mozzarella cheese is a fave, these mozzarella-stuffed meatball bombs are one of tons of appetizer ideas for entertaining that guarantee big party success.
Garlic lovers cheese balls
There’s marinated cheese balls with a little garlic and then there’s these marinated cheese balls. They’re that much better thanks to a big hit of rich, subtle flavor from using roasted garlic instead of fresh.
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Small bites of fresh mozzarella
For this marinated mozzarella balls recipe, I am using little bite-sized fresh mozzarella known as ciliegine mozzarella (pronounced “cheel-ay-jean-yay”). I especially love them because they are smaller than buffalo mozzarella balls but larger than mozzarella pearls. They’re literally the perfect appetizer bite with a distinct delicate flavor that perfectly contrasts the mellow garlic and oil-soaked sun dried tomatoes.
And the pink peppercorns add a peppery flavor and pop of color.
Step-by-step instructions
This fresh mozzarella appetizer is one of the easiest and can be multiplied many times for a larger crew.
Here’s how you make it:
Pro tip
Roast lots of extra garlic and refrigerate the cloves covered in olive oil in a sealed jar for approximately 2 weeks.
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Quick-Marinated Fresh Mozzarella Balls
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Ingredients
For roasting garlic
- 1 head garlic, roasted [see instructions below]
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, or a quick drizzle from a bottle
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
For mozzarella balls
- 8 oz. ciliegine or bite sized fresh mozzarella balls , see note below
- 6-8 cloves roasted garlic
- ⅓ cup chopped oil-packed sun dried tomatoes , drained (save the oil)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 5 leaves fresh basil, large leaves
- ⅓ cup oil from sun dried tomato jar, total amount needed/includes drained oil
- 3-4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, or more if needed
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Roast the garlic
- Preheat an oven to 350°.
- Slice the top off the whole head of garlic just enough to expose the top of each individual clove.
- Lay the garlic on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bring in all the sides of the foil to the crown of the garlic and seal it up like a purse.
- Place the garlic foil packet on an oven safe small baking dish
- Bake for 40 minutes until browned (your house will smell amazing!) Cool until you are able to handle it.
- Squeeze the garlic cloves from the base of the head until the cloves slide cleanly out of the skins. Set aside.
To marinate the mozzarella
- Drain the mozzarella in a colander and blot dry with a paper towel until little to no water remains.
- Roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes and garlic and set aside.
- Stack the basil leaves on top of each other. From the long side, roll them up like a cigar and starting at one end, thinly slice them with a sharp knife until you reach the other end. It's not necessary to include/chop the stems.
- Next, blend the oils in a glass measuring cup. Add the remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning. (I wouldn't add more crushed red pepper as the heat will intensify as the cheese marinates in it.)
- Add the fresh mozzarella balls, chopped tomatoes and garlic to a glass storage container that has a lid. (You can also use a ziploc bag as well) Pour the marinade over the cheese, tomatoes and garlic and mix completely.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour up to 24 hours periodically mixing to make sure the cheese is well coated.
Notes
- If you can’t find fresh mozzarella balls or pearls, tear or cube a large ball of fresh mozzarella into bite sized pieces.
- dried oregano
- flavored oil like garlic oil or Garlic Goodness from What’s Gaby Cooking (SO good!)
Fresh mozzarella cheese is rarely available where I live so we make it at home. The kit is available from Amazon and only takes a couple hrs. I have made this before, and even skewered it with cherry tomatoes and basil leaves for a party app. Using these in a lasagna is outstanding.
I love making homemade fresh mozzarella! And I looove the idea of using it in lasagna! I use fresh mozzarella in my lasagna but never have added it marinated…I’m starting work on a lasagna cookbook next year and will have to experiment with this idea! Thanks Frank!