Italian Olive Cheese Spread (Print)
Creamy cheese and briny olive spread with Italian herbs, ready in minutes for your next gathering.
# What You Need:
→ Dairy
01 - 7 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
02 - 3.5 oz ricotta cheese
03 - 1.75 oz grated Parmesan cheese
→ Olives & Vegetables
04 - 3.5 oz mixed Italian olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
05 - 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
06 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
→ Herbs & Seasoning
07 - 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
08 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
09 - ½ tsp dried oregano
10 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
11 - Salt to taste
→ Garnish
12 - Extra basil leaves
13 - Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
# How to Make:
01 - In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, and Parmesan. Stir until smooth and fully integrated.
02 - Add the chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and minced garlic to the cheese mixture. Stir until evenly distributed.
03 - Mix in the fresh basil, parsley, dried oregano, black pepper, and salt to taste. Blend until all ingredients are well combined.
04 - Spoon the spread into a serving bowl. Top with extra basil leaves and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
05 - Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices, crackers, or vegetable crudités. For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Zero cooking required, which means you can throw it together while your guests are literally walking through the door.
- The combination of three cheeses means every bite hits a different note, from tangy to nutty to creamy.
02 -
- Skip the chilling step and you will miss out on half the flavor, because cold gives the herbs time to release their oils into the cheese.
- Room temperature cream cheese is not optional, and if you forget to take it out early you can microwave it in ten second bursts but never more than that or it will get weird and runny.
03 -
- Chop the olives by hand instead of using a food processor, because machine-chopped olives turn into paste and you lose the satisfying little chunks.
- A pinch of crushed red pepper folded in at the end is a quiet secret that makes people wonder what you did differently.