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This Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball is light, fresh and delicious. It's gorgeous too and tends to make jaws drop!
For some reason, my brain has been in overdrive lately in the kitchen and instead of a having a zillion ideas and things I want to try I've had about 5 zillion... This Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball is one of them. Ever since my jaw dropped last month over a "Pomegranate Jeweled" cheeseball on Pinterest, I've been thinking about making my own version. I wanted something light, fresh and fun - so I decided to go with a smidgen of garlic, a bit of fine lemon zest and lots of fresh herbs for my flavors.
Being one of those alliteration lovers, I'm calling this my Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball, but it also includes fresh rosemary and thyme, toasted pecans, lower fat neufchâtel cream cheese and a generous dose of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
Putting together the cheese ball will take you less than 10 minutes, but there's an hour chill in the fridge. Another 10 minutes to add the pomegranate arils (seeds) and you're good to go!
This Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball will feed a crowd, so if you're not serving a lot of people, just make it into two smaller balls and keep one refrigerated (minus the pomegranates) till your next party. Then all you'll have to do is add the pretty arils and guess what?
You'll be the one making the jaws drop!
P.S. Not real familiar with pomegranates? Not sure what to do with them? Here's a super easy tutorial for a really easy way to remove the beautiful jewel-like seeds. Pomegranates used to scare me, but now I use them all the time!
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Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball
Ingredients
- 1 cup pomegranate arils or seeds, drained
- 8 ounces Neufachel cream cheese, softened (You can use regular cream cheese, but I like the lower fat Neufachel variety.)
- 1 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, finely chopped or snipped
- 1 teaspoon finely zested lemon peel
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Place several thicknesses of paper toweling on a dinner plate. Place pomegranate arils on toweling in a single layer. Cover with another paper towel and pat gently. Refrigerate on plate, allowing arils to drain while preparing cheeseball.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, Monterey Jack cheese, pecans, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, lemon zest and black pepper. Beat for 1 minute or until well combined.
- Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Scoop cream cheese mixture onto one side of the plastic wrap. Fold other half over the mixture and working with your hands form into a ball. Don't worry if it's not super round at this point. Place in refrigerator and chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Remove from refrigerator and discard plastic wrap. With a clean sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a round ball. Remove pomegranate plate from refrigerator and discard paper towels. Place cheese ball in the center of the plate. With your hands, scoop up pomegranate arils and gently, but firmly press them into the cheeseball till most of the white is covered. Once the entire ball is covered with pomegranates, you can gently reshape it one more time, if needed.
- Place on a serving plate, sprinkle with more chopped parsley and serve with crackers or crostini. Can be made 4-5 hours in advance and refrigerated, covered lightly with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Serves 20-24.
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how much in advance can i make this please
Hi Lucy, you could make the cheeseball itself a day or two before serving - just wrap it in plastic wrap. But I would not add the pomegranate and parsley until an hour or two before serving
stunning, thank you for the recipe, is neufachel a blue cheese and did you use flat leaf or curly parsley? Diana from Toronto
I Diana, Neufachel is a lower fat cream cheese. You could also you regular cream cheese. I like the curly parsley for this recipe but you could use either.
Hi ! I wonder, Need your advice which better Pomegranate arils (seeds) can chew it or seeds throw away ?
Thank you,
Julie
Julie, pom seeds are just like raspberry or blackberry seeds. You can eat them, and it's part of the wonderful crunch experience of a pom.
Hi Chris,
What kind of crackers do you have pictured next to the cheese ball?
Just to let you know, I have folder on my computer strictly for your fantastic recipes.
Thank you.
Wowza this is great - from the UK!
Thanks Clara!
Looks gorgeous!!! Have you ever tried using a different more flavorful cheese like a blue instead of Monterey Jack? Also, when do you add the garlic? In with the rest I presume but just want to make sure. Thanks!
Hi Sue, I think a portion of Blue Cheese would be wonderful!
How did I miss this?
So beautiful!
This looks gorgeous Chris! What a delicious holiday treat! Healthy too. Love your pictures! 🙂
So, I was quickly scrolling through my blog feed when I got a glimpse of this showstopping appetizer. WHOA! Jaw-dropping is right. Outstanding! Pinning for sure.
So great idea Chris!!!I love it and I am going to try it at Christmas^^
Wow, this is such a pretty cheese ball...it will sure bring lots and lots of smiles...I love the layer of fresh pomegranate seeds and the cheese spread just sound delicious!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe Chris...hope you are having a fabulous week 🙂
What a beautiful and festive cheese ball. It's so pretty I'd hate to cut into it.
I love everything with pomegranates. Never thought to mix them with cheese. Now, I see that it is a brilliant idea! I want it all! 🙂
So festive and pretty, Chris! A perfect Christmas appetizer!
Love the flavor combo here! And this is gorgeous -- it just screams "holiday."" And speaking of holidays, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Chris:
What a great idea! This cheese ball looks like a gorgeous Christmas ornament. Pinned!
Chris it's just so pretty! A friend gifted me a pomegranate the other day. They really are a beautiful fruit.
I bought some beautiful pomegranates today. Maybe it's an omen that I should make this cheeseball? I think so!
What a beautiful thing to have on the table.
OMG! That ruby crusted ball of cheese is a stunner!
Hello Chris!
It's delicious and so beautiful!!!
I' ve made it last christmas, too but i think i will try your version next week!!
Great photos, as always!!
Thanks so much Pepi!
Chris, this looks so delicious my mouth is watering. I will definitely be making some of these this Christmas!
Rose x
Thanks Rose, it's a really fun appetizer!
A fantastic idea, Chris. And it looks so beautiful and festive too.
Oh my gosh this looks like a jewel, you are so creative Chris! Kudos to Scott also for the wonderful photos!
Very pretty and quite seasonal:@)
This is a work of art !!! I can't wait to make this. The herbs you put in will taste so good with the cheese. I really like to use fresh herbs in a lot of my recipes. Rosemary,Thyme and garlic, Oh My....
Thanks Linda, we love fresh herbs too!
What a marvelous idea. And, whoever called this "sophisticated" is absolutely right. Such a clever combination of ingredients to produce a beautiful ball of Yum. Is that enough alliteration for you???
There are no other words to describe this cheeseball than absolutely stunning, Chris. A definite showstopper. Pinned!
Good Heavens is this gorgeous Chris!!! What a spectacular holiday offering! I am so completely wowed!
Thanks Colleen, I've served it several times now and everyone seems to love it!
This is a stunning addition to any Christmas table! What lovely work Chris!
OH Christmas Tree, this is so pretty! I love your flavor combo!
i sang to this HAHAHAH:) 😉
So pretty Christ. It is too pretty to slice into!!
This will make the Christmas table all the more festive. xo Catherine
Hi Chris, this is such a beautiful appetizer, looks almost too pretty to eat.
Wow - stunning! I had never seen a cheese ball that looked like a chandelier, until now. I think it should be served hung from the ceiling:-). Beautiful, Chris & Scott!
It is way too jeweled and gorgeous to eat!
What a scrumptious sophisticated-looking cheeseball! The combination of flavors would taste absolutely heavenly.
Chris, your cheese ball is mindbogglingly gorgeous. Glad to see you like the light cream cheese. I do too and perhaps even better than the full fat one.
Sam