This Butternut Squash Cheese Ball with walnuts, thyme, and nutmeg is a beautiful seasonal appetizer that will please a crowd.
Hello, everyone. Even though it’s been heavily raining all day, I am quite excited today.
First, it happened to be a long weekend, so there wasn’t work for me yesterday meaning a short week, too! Secondly, I am sharing today this scrumptious Butternut Squash Cheese Ball (But we’re going to talk about it in a moment.) Lastly, with this recipe, I am officially wrapping up (temporarily) the season of apples and pumpkins, and I will be focusing on festive Christmas (And Thanksgiving too) dishes! I am not sure about the apple part, but I will certainly post some more pumpkin and squash recipes after the holidays. We’re not done with them yet! As you see, I have many reasons to be excited today.
And this Butternut Squash Cheese Ball? It is a perfect Thanksgiving appetizer, although I’d enjoy it throughout the entire fall and wintertime. I’d say it’s a fabulous addition to the Christmas holidays, too, particularly because of the nutmeg. Oh, this nutmeg gives all those Christmassy vibes, right? It is perfectly paired with roasted butternut squash, too. You probably know me: I love a compound flavour profile. But this time there’s nothing complicated going on – just cheese, squash, walnuts, herbs, and some seasoning. Delicious!
The only one thing you should keep in mind is that thanks to butternut squash, the cheese mixture has more moisture, so you will need more time for chilling and shaping the ball. You might not get the perfect shape, too. but this doesn’t matter. Just grab some crackers and enjoy this festive Butternut Squash Cheese Ball.
Looking for more festive cheese ball ideas? Try this Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball, this Tangerine Pecan Pomegranate Cheeseball and this Apple Maple Cheese Ball
Cheers!
Notes
To bake the butternut squash, cut in half and remove the seeds. Brush with a little of olive oil, season with some salt and pepper, and roast in the preheated to 180 degrees C (360 degrees F) oven for about 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. It should be soft when pierced with a fork but still firm. Remove from oven and let cool until easy to handle. Scoop out the flesh (You’ll need between 1 and 1,5 cups), and use the leftovers for another recipe.
Ingredients
- 400 gr. cream cheese, room temperature (Plain or with herbs&garlic)
- 2 cups grated cheddar
- 1 to 1,5 cups roasted butternut squash (See Notes)
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
- 1/2 fresh nutmeg, grated
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- a pinch of pepper
- 1,5 to 2 cups walnuts, toasted and nicely chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the cream cheese and cheddar until well incorporated.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the walnuts. The mixture will remain very soft. Cover and let chill in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes to firm up.
- Remove from the fridge and shape it into a ball. Cover with the chopped walnuts slightly pressing them into the ball.
- Place in the fridge for a while to let it firm up more.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Glad you enjoyed your long weekend Ben! Sorry for your rain too. We’ve had quite a bit of that here but it now seems to have just settled on being near to freezing temperatures every day. This butternut squash cheese ball would be perfect for Christmas Day at my in-laws. We always enjoy a load of crackers and cheese in the evening and we could quite happily just dig into this!
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Yay for long weekends, Ben! And yay for this cheeseball. I am having a dinner party this weekend, I might have to incorporate a cheeseball into the mix!!
I can’t get enough butternut squash this time of year, Ben. But I’ve never considered including it in a cheese ball. Such a fun and festive (and delicious!) idea!
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Wow, this would definitely be so yummy for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s entertaining. I love the idea of incorporating squash into it and it looks fabulous Ben!!! Pinning…duh. :)
Kim Lange recently posted…Harvest Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Adding butternut squash to a cheeseball is an absolutely brilliant idea Ben. I always incorporate a cheeseball into my holiday appetizers, and this one would be just perfect. Love all the flavours and it has a fall/Christmas vibe!
I love the sound of this! Butternut squash makes frequent appearances in my house this time of year so I’d be all over this!
Nutmeg totally brings all the Christmas-y feelings! I love it. And I love how you incorporated it into this savory recipe. I’ve made cheese balls before, and they’re always a fun appetizer for a crowd. However, I’ve never included squash…what a cool idea, Ben! Hope you enjoy the short work week!
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