Need a rockstar appetizer in a hurry this holiday season? Budget Bytes to the rescue! This Marinated Cheese recipe is a total showstopper, and at less than 50 cents a serving, it’s the perfect budget-saving snack when money can be especially tight. Don’t waste a drop of the marinade, either—I think it makes the best salad dressing after the cheese has been gobbled up!
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Easy Marinated Cheese Appetizer
If you’ve never had marinated cheese, picture a stack of your favorite cheeses soaking up a punchy mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs. In this recipe, I go for cheddar, pepper jack, and cream cheese because they each bring something a little different to the party (and they’re great budget-friendly cheese options!). Everything soaks up that zippy flavor, and the roasted red peppers make it look festive without any extra work.
I like to set out this marinated cheese with a big pile of crackers so folks can build their own little bites. It’s the most perfect appetizer for the holidays, New Year’s Eve, game day spreads, or any time you need an easy win that gets people talking!
Recipe Success Tips
- Avoid the white pith when zesting your lemon! I’m careful to just zest the yellow skin and leave the white pith behind. The pith can taste bitter, and we don’t want anything competing with the bright citrus flavor in the marinade.
- Freezing the cream cheese for a short time helps it slice cleanly instead of squishing or sticking to the knife.
- Feel free to mix and match cheeses to fit your budget or whatever you’ve already got in the fridge. Softer cheeses like Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Colby, Havarti, or Gouda soak up the marinade well and slice neatly. Harder cheeses can crumble a bit, but they’ll still taste great if that’s what you have on hand.
- Roasted red peppers add color and sweetness, but you can swap in sun-dried tomatoes if that’s what’s in your pantry. They bring a deeper, slightly tangy flavor that works well in the marinade. Marinated artichokes or even thin strips of jarred pepperoncini can also step in if you’re looking to use what you already have.
Marinated Cheese
Cost $9.75 recipe / $0.40 serving
Ingredients
- 1 lemon (juiced and zested, $0.64)
- ½ cup olive oil ($1.39)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.18)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.04)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced, (½ Tbsp total) $0.12)
- ½ Tbsp fresh rosemary (stems removed, $0.44*)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley ($0.10)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp chili flakes ($0.06)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar ($0.01)
- 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar (8 oz. block, sliced, $1.97)
- 8 oz. pepperjack cheese (8 oz. block, sliced, $1.97)
- 4 oz. cream cheese (frozen and sliced, $1.76)
- 6 oz. roasted red peppers (half a 12 oz. jar, $1.06)
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients.
- Zest and juice a lemon.
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, Dijon, minced garlic, rosemary, parsley, salt, chili flakes, and granulated sugar.
- Slice cheeses into ¼ inch slices and chop roasted red peppers. I find the cream cheese is easier to cut when it’s a little frozen.
- Arrange sliced cheese in an 8×8 baking pan or casserole dish however you like.** Add sliced roasted bell peppers on top and pour the dressing all over everything.
- Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. This can be made up to one day in advance!***
- Remove plastic wrap to serve. I like to serve this with cheese forks and a butter knife so people can easily dress a cracker with the sliced cheese or the cream cheese.
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Equipment
- Small Bowl
- 8×8” Baking Dish
- Plastic Wrap
Notes
meticulously placed. You’re about to cover it in the dressing, and it will be gorgeous no matter what! ***This marinated cheese is delicious whenever you serve it, but a minimum of 6 hours of marinating really lets the flavors soak in! You can also make it the day before and let it marinate overnight. The oil may harden if refrigerated overnight, but it will become liquid again once it comes back to room temperature.
Nutrition
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Gather all of your ingredients.
Make the marinade: Start by zesting and juicing 1 lemon. Avoid accidentally zesting the white pith so you don’t get any bitterness.
Add ½ cup olive oil, lemon juice and zest, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, ½ Tbsp minced garlic, ½ Tbsp rosemary, 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp chili flakes, and 1 tsp granulated sugar to a bowl. Stir to evenly combine.
Slice the cheese: Use a knife to slice 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, 8 oz. pepper jack cheese, and 4 oz. frozen cream cheese into ¼ inch slices. I find the cream cheese is easier to cut when it’s a little frozen. Also, chop ½ jar roasted red peppers (6 oz).
Marinate the cheese: Arrange the cheese slices in an 8×8 baking dish. It doesn’t matter how you assemble the cheeses; it’ll look pretty anyway once the marinade is added! Top with the sliced roasted bell peppers and pour the marinade evenly on top.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. A minimum of 6 hours is enough time for the cheeses to fully marinate, though it’s still delicious if served sooner. This can also be made up to one day in advance!
Serve: Remove plastic wrap once you’re ready to serve. I like to serve this marinated cheese with cheese forks and a butter knife so people can easily dress a cracker with the sliced cheese or the cream cheese. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
For serving, I like to build a relaxed board with crackers (always), thin slices of sourdough or no knead bread, my marinated olives, and whatever fruit or nuts I have in my kitchen. It’s the kind of easy holiday appetizer everyone loves to nibble on, and it turns the marinated cheese into the center of a fun little grazing spread.
The leftover marinade also makes a great shortcut dressing when I want to toss together a simple salad. Any remaining cheese gets snacked on throughout the week, or diced and mixed into an antipasto pasta salad, which is perfect when I’m trying to use up the extra odds and ends in the fridge.
How to Store Leftovers
Cover any leftover marinated cheese with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Enjoy the cheese as a quick snack right out of the container, tucked into sandwiches, or chopped and tossed into an easy pasta or grain bowl when you need something fast!
