*This is a sponsored post by Musco Family Olives. All opinions are my own.
Entertaining doesn’t have to be complicated. This easy marinated olives and cheese ring appetizer is beautiful and delicious. It is the perfect appetizer for the holidays, parties, or wine night! Make it for your next special occasion!
Have you tried Pearls® Specialties Olives? These little gems are harvested in Greece creating the best olives. They are incredibly reasonably priced and a great value for the quality.
The olives have a lovely firmness with a great taste and crunch. The Red Pepper Stuffed Green Olives would be great garnished in my AMAZING, BEST EVER Bloody Mary Vodka Infusion recipe .Just saying!!!
The Garlic Stuffed Queen Olives are nice and large. The garlic is not overpowering like they can be in other garlic stuffed olives. The Pitted Kalamata Greek Olives taste as good as the olives from the high end over-priced olive bar for a fraction of the price!!! You can snack on them for a healthy, gourmet snack, or make my pretty cheese ring!
HOW TO MAKE THIS MARINATED OLIVES AND CHEESE RING APPETIZER
I love it when a dish looks fancy and complicated but was secretly easy to make… This is one of those recipes. The Marinated Olives and Cheese Ring really only takes a few minutes to create. It does marinate for one hour or more before you can serve it. Waiting is the hardest part about this recipe. Impress your friends with this lovely appetizer by following these easy steps on how to make marinated olives and cheese ring :
- Make the marinade dressing mix of white wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, celery salt, basil, and red chili flakes. Set aside.
- Cut cream cheese block in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/4 inch slices.
- Next, cut mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese into 1/4 inch slices.
- On a platter, arrange cheese slices upright in a ring with one slice of mozzarella, one slice of Monterey Jack, and one slice of cream cheese until you form a complete circle.
- Mix drained olives together and add to the center of the circle.
- Drizzle dressing mix over the entire dish making sure to cover olives and cheese.
- Finally, cover and marinated one hour or more. Serve.
I personally think the best green olives to use in this recipe are Pearls® Specialties Garlic Stuffed Green Olives. It gives it an extra bite of flavor. But if you are not a huge garlic fan, you can use their Red Pepper Stuffed Green Olives. (The red color would also brighten the cheese ring.)
ARE OLIVES HEALTHY?
Did you know that olives not only taste great, but they are a super healthy food to snack on? Olives contain a high amount of vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants. Similar to olive oil, olives are rich in monounsaturated fats which are linked to decreasing inflammation and fighting heart disease. They also are a good source for iron.
ARE GREEN OLIVES HEALTHIER THAN BLACK OLIVES?
Surprisingly, there is no nutritional differences between green olives and black olives. They have all of the same healthy benefits of vitamin e, antioxidants, iron, and monounsaturated fats. Therefore, you can eat whichever flavor you like best… or better… both!
Do you love olives as much as I do? Here are some other recipes that these Pearls® Specialties Olives will taste great in:
- Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad with Capers and Olives
- Homemade Olive Pimento Cheese Spread
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Greek Seven Layer Dip
- Spicy Cream Cheese Taco Dip
- Halloween Spider Deviled Eggs
- Spanish Orzo Salad
Easy Marinated Olives & Cheese Ring Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar (omit if low-carb)
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 8 oz cream cheese block
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese block
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese block
- 6 oz pitted Kalamata olives, drained Pearls® Specialties
- 7 oz garlic stuffed green olives Pearls® Specialties
Instructions
- Mix white wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, celery salt, basil, and red chili flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cut cream cheese block in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/4 inch slices.
- Cut mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese into 1/4 inch slices.
- On a platter, arrange cheese slices upright in a ring with one slice of mozzarella, one slice of Monterey Jack, and one slice of cream cheese until you form a complete circle.
- Mix drained olives together and add to the center of the circle.
- Drizzle dressing mix over the entire dish making sure to cover olives and cheese.
- Cover and marinated one hour or more. Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Katie Crenshaw says
I try to keep it as cold as possible. I cut half and put the other half in the refrigerator until it is ready to be cut. I know it can be messy. Some people use dental floss. That is supposed to help. Also you can always reshape cream cheese if it messes up a little. Hope that helps.
Carol Valvas says
I had a terrible time cutting the cream cheese into strips. Is there a secret to it?
I do love the presentation and looking forward to serving it.
Katie says
You would just eat the olives and cheese individually. You do not need crackers.
Terri Geraci says
This may seem like a stupid question but how do people eat this? With crackers? Or just cheese with olive on top. It looks so wonderful! I want to make it but not sure of the presentation. thanks for your help.
Katie says
The cream cheese is great in it. The cream cheese not only marinades well, but it goes well with the other cheese. I have never tried it with goat cheese. I am not sure if the other cheeses would blend well with the goat cheese.
Janet says
Can I ask why tge cream cheese is in the ring? Seems odd but maybe it adds smooth creamy texture? Would goat cheese add more flavor? Thanks!
Katie says
Yes. You will want to marinate it in the fridge, but you can remove it from fridge 15 to 20 minutes to remove the chill before serving.
Michelle says
This looks delish! Do you put it in the fridge while it’s marinating?
S says
I’ve never tried making an olive/cheese ring before! I’ll have to try that for our next party!
-S
http://www.thesassylife.com
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I love olives. I love cheese so this is a winner to me! I would happily sit down on Friday night with this, some crusty bread and be one happy lady 🙂 XO
Debbie Savage says
Wow, I have never seen olives presented this way! Not, only does it look fantastic but it looks delicious as well! The combination of cheese and green olives is perfection!
xo Debbie | http://www.tothineownstylebetrue.com
Danielle says
Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe!! I can’t wait to try this!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
This is my kind of snack because I freaking love olives and cheese so much!! I’ve bought those Pearls olives before and they are great. Making this to bring to my sister-in-law’s for Easter 🙂