Name: Bacon Cheddar Cheeseball
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: 16 ounces cream cheese (softened); 2 cloves garlic (pressed or finely minced); 1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley; 1 Tablespoon minced green onions; 1/4 teaspoon chili powder*; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 5 slices cooked bacon (chopped); 3 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese (divided); 1/2 can black olives (finely chopped (optional))

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Are you ready for some BASKETBALL? That doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? Well as you can probably guess by the image, I have created a Bacon Cheddar Cheeseball that looks like a basketball!! There are some big games coming up next week, and people are going to show up at your house and expect food…..

What? That just happens at my house? I don’t believe it, people want food…..all people! The appetizer table is always wiped out within minutes, and this Bacon Cheddar Cheeseball is a huge hit! Since I had so much fun creating recipes for football season, I thought it only right to cover my basketball bases as well. Luckily, this cheeseball is seriously simple to create!

How to make a Bacon Cheddar Cheeseball:

Make sure you set your cream cheese {mine is dairy-free} out on the counter for a couple of hours to soften. Whip together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy…..

Add the garlic, parsley, green onions, chili powder, pepper, and Worcestershire, and stir to combine…..

Stir in the bacon and 2 cups of finely shredded cheddar cheese {sharp cheddar is lactose-free}. Stir to combine…..

Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and fill with cheeseball mixture…..

It’s just a basic soup bowl from Target. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve, at least 2 hours…..

Remove from refrigerator and turn out onto serving plate {or parchment paper} and gently press the remaining cheese all over the cheeseball to completely cover…..

My cheesy hands were not going to pick up the camera, sorry. 😉 If you would like to make the stripes for the basketball, dump a can of black olives in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped…..

I only used about 1/2 of the olives, but didn’t have another use for whole olives. 😉 Use a small spoon to carefully create curved lines across the top of the cheeseball. Use your fingers to squeeze and press into place when needed.

Clean off your parchment paper or serving plate and serve with Cheez-its, crackers, pretzels, veggies, or bread chunks…..

But don’t think this Bacon Cheddar Cheeseball is only for basketball season, it is just as delicious without the olives…..

more delicious dip recipes:

Spinach Dip

Simple Seafood Artichoke Dip

Southwest Black Bean Dip

Queso Blanco Dip

Greek Eggplant Dip {Melitzanosalata}

What will you be serving on game day?

Enjoy!!