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Need an easy, dependable appetizer that is both simple to make and a complete crowd pleaser? This herbaceous olive oil-marinated mozzarella recipe is exactly what you're looking for! It takes less than 5 minutes of your time to put together, then the creamy mozzarella soaks up all that delicious robust flavor as it marinates. Serve in a charcuterie board, with crostini, tossed with cherry tomatoes, or even on top of pizza!
Now that we are slowly able to get back into entertaining our friends and loved ones, I have been finding my favorite ways to make easy entertaining more simple with simple ingredients. A charcuterie board or antipasto platter with a bowl of mini mozzarella balls that have been soaked in extra-virgin olive oil and fresh herbs is a constant hit.
No one is mad at some cheese balls with crusty bread and flavored oil, let's keep it real, honey. It's like that delicious Italian dipping oil you sop up with bread but you get the added bonus of cheese to nibble on. A total win during date night or entertaining.
This marinated mozzarella balls recipe only needs a handful of ingredients that create a simple, yet perfect appetizer for any time of the year. Make this for your grazing boards during the holiday season, as an easy appetizer during your summer backyard barbeque, or any time you want a really great appetizer with no cooking and no fuss required.
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How to buy the right mozzarella at the grocery store
You'll find a ton of different varieties of fresh mozzarella at the store, but there are a few different shapes that'll work with this recipe.
First, let's go over what we're not looking for: burrata, your standard fresh mozzarella, ovolini, and bocconcini.
Burrata is a soft ball filled with cream and stringy cheese curds, not what we want here (but it's so good in other dishes!).
The standard mozzarella is just too big, unless you're serving sliced mozzarella in a caprese salad.
Ovolini and creamy Bocconcini are mozzarella balls that are about the size of an egg, bocconcini are the size of a small egg and ovolini a large egg, not exactly the size we're looking for when we are making this but it'll work if you can't find anything smaller.
The terms we are looking for are perlini and ciliegine mozzarella.
Perlini are like baby mozzarella balls, you'll often find them as 'mozzarella pearls' in the store. They're a little smaller than a cherry tomato and they are a really great 'poppable' size that I use for entertaining because there are so many of them in a container, you really get a lot of little cheeses that get to soak up all that savory flavor in the marinade.
But ciliegine is exactly what you are hoping to find, they're the size of a cherry and are the perfect size for marinating, tossing with cherry tomatoes, or adding to a cheese board.
How to Make Marinated Mozzarella Balls
Making this easy appetizer recipe requires absolutely no cooking, no fuss. Because it's just a few ingredients, there's nowhere to hide; you need good quality ingredients. It only takes about five minutes of your time to put together and it's a 1-2-3 prep situation!
First, drain the fresh mozzarella balls in a colander and put them into a large bowl.
Next, add all the marinade ingredients to the bowl and stir everything together well.
Then carefully add the mozzarella and olive oil mixture to a large mason jar to marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour. If you're serving that day, keep it out on the counter for up to an hour, you want them served around room temperature since oil becomes solid in the fridge.
After they marinate, they're ready to eat! If you made this the night before, for the best results let the marinated mozzarella balls and oil come to room temperature so the cheese is more pleasant to eat and the olive oil can go back to its liquid state.
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil. That fruity flavor of extra virgin olive oil is exactly what we want here. It seasons the mozzarella well with its own flavor and acts as the perfect catalyst for the pepper, garlic, and herbs.
Red Pepper flakes.
Kosher salt.
Fresh garlic cloves.
Fresh herbs. You can use dried herbs, but use half of the amount in the recipe. Dried herbs' flavor is much more concentrated than fresh. The herbs I used...
Fresh basil.
Fresh thyme.
Fresh oregano.
Fresh parsley.
Lemon juice. For even more flavor, use a microplane grater to zest the lemons into the marinade. Another great acid to use is red wine vinegar!
What to Eat with Marinated Mozzarella
The most simple way to serve this appetizer is on a charcuterie or antipasti board, eating it with crusty bread, some prosciutto and fruit. So delish.
Buuuut there are other fantastic ways to eat marinated mozzarella.
Like on homemade pizza. Making a grilled pizza with well-seasoned mozzarella (and because of their size, they won't make the pizza wet and soggy with water).
Or in a delicious green salad, tossed with seasonal fruits and veggies.
In a cherry tomato caprese salad, drizzled with some of the olive oil marinade!
Variations
What's great about this marinade is that you can adapt it to your tastes and add whatever you like to it. A few examples:
Black pepper. Crank out freshly coarse ground pepper with your pepper mill or use whole peppercorns in the marinade for that classic flavor.
Pickled chilies. They have an acidic, yet spicy punch that would bode well here.
Roasted or sun dried tomatoes. They're sweet and add a roasty-toasty flavor element.
Balsamic glaze. This gives a sweet, tart, tangy flavor that so many people absolutely love. If you're a balsamic fan, add it!
Basil pesto. Add this to your marinade for a herby shortcut that also adds a nutty flavor.
Storing
You want to store marinated mozzarella balls in the fridge for up to 2 days. Fresh raw garlic can be dangerous in anaerobic conditions (like being smothered in oil) if given the opportunity to sit around for too long.
The oil will solidify in the fridge, that's completely normal. Let the appetizer warm up to room temperature for about an hour before serving.
FAQ
They need to be marinated for at least an hour, but for serious flavor try marinating overnight in the fridge!
Yes, you can freeze fresh mozzarella but the texture will change because the water inside the cheese will crystalize. Drain the cheese and vacuum seal them for the best result.
A flavorful and fruity extra virgin olive oil is the best to marinate mozzarella balls in. So use the best one you have.
More Appetizer Recipes
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Marinated Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, drained
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Put the drained mozzarella balls into a large mason jar, set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, smashed garlic, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, fresh basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, and lemon juice.
- Pour the marinade into the mason jar over all the mozzarella. Stir with a small spoon to coat all the cheese in the olive oil marinade. Let marinate for an hour on the countertop if serving same day.
- If making ahead, cover the mason jar tightly and keep the marinating mozzarella in the fridge overnight. An hour before serving, take the jar out and let come to room temperature so the oil can liquify again.
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