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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers

    Pesto Cheese Bombs

    Published: April 24, 2016 · Updated: December 8, 2020 · By: Krissy · 43 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    pesto cheese bomb recipe
    Ooey gooey melty Pesto Cheese Bombs with marinara sauce are super easy to make and will please any crowd. Make this appetizer for your next game day party!

    Ooey gooey melty Pesto Cheese Bombs with marinara sauce are super easy to make and will please any crowd. Make this appetizer for your next game day party!

    pesto cheese bombs with cheese pull on platter with marinara sauce

    I love me some bread and melted cheese. In fact, I think cheesy bread deserves its own food group, much like bacon does. Refrigerated biscuit dough is one of those staples everyone should have in their refrigerator. If not to use it for its intended use, biscuits that is, that dough should always be available for that emergency batch of Granny's Monkey Bread that everyone loves to wake up to.

    premade biscuit dough from a canister with string cheese chunks

    These cheese bombs are a thing of beauty. First of all, it doesn't get much easier than cutting up some string cheese, and if you're a mom you most certainly already have cheese sticks in your refrigerator. To make the pull apart, all you need to do is wrap some dough around the cheese. BOOM. Done. But wait. You know they could be oh so much better with a little something extra.

    cheese filled biscuit dough balls rolled in pesto sauce

    Enter the pesto. Don't fret - you can totally buy a tub of store bought pesto. Not a problem. Me? I just happen to have some of my homemade macadamia gouda pesto (aka highly addictive green crack) in the refrigerator that was just begging to be used in an application like this.

    Ooey gooey melty Pesto Cheese Bombs with marinara sauce are super easy to make and will please any crowd. Make this appetizer for your next game day party!
    ramekin in spring form pan

    I decided to use the springform pan with a dish in the middle perfectly sized for some warm marinara. I greased the sides so the dough wouldn't stick and then lined the bottom with parchment. Be sure to place a piece of foil on the rack below because this will ooze in the naughtiest of ways during the cooking process.

    uncooked pesto cheese bombs in round pan with ramekin in middle

    Here's a little before and after action to show you how much they expand during the cooking process.

    top view of pesto cheese bombs with marinara

    The result? A super easy to make gooey appetizer that everyone will love. Not sure how long to cook it?  The sign they they are perfectly done is when the cheese starts to ooze out. Oh yeah.

    Pretty good use of the left over pesto, wouldn't you say?  Enjoy!!!

    dipping pesto cheese bomb in marinara
    Ooey gooey melty Pesto Cheese Bombs with marinara sauce are super easy to make and will please any crowd. Make this appetizer for your next game day party!

    Pesto Cheese Bombs

    Ooey gooey melty Pesto Cheese Bombs with marinara sauce are super easy to make and will please any crowd. Make this appetizer for your next game day party!
    4.95 from 20 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

    CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO

    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Scale: 16 cheese bombs
    Recipe Created By: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces biscuit dough ((the kind from the tube))
    • 4 mozzarella string cheese sticks
    • ½ cup pesto
    • butter for greasing
    • 1 cup marinara sauce (warmed)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a ramekin or ceramic bowl in the center of a springform pan and grease the inside edges of the pan as well as the outside of the bowl to prevent sticking.
    • Split each biscuit into two by dividing the layers, totaling 16 rounds of dough. Cut each of the cheese sticks into quarters. Wrap each chunk of cheese in the biscuit dough and seal edges to create a ball.
    • Add pesto to a small bowl and roll each ball of dough in the pesto to coat. Add to the pan in a ring shape and cover with any remaining pesto. Bake with a layer of foil under the pan to catch any grease that might leak out for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and some melted cheese is visible.
    • Add warmed marinara to the center dish for dipping. Serve hot.

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 54mg | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dave Jarrett

      March 15, 2021 at 7:53 am

      5 stars
      I made this recipe as an appetizer for a dinner party. Cooked them for 30 min at 375, as per instructions on the biscuit tube. They were fantastic! Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Kayla

      November 01, 2020 at 11:34 am

      5 stars
      These are delicious and easy to make!

      Reply
    3. Sheena

      February 11, 2020 at 7:10 am

      Don’t kill me.....Not a big fan of pesto. Can you use something other than pesto for this recipe????

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 13, 2020 at 3:20 pm

        Gasp! You don't like pesto? Just messing with you. Honestly, a nice olive oil with some minced garlic would work great!

        Reply
    4. Kelsie

      December 20, 2018 at 7:50 pm

      Can these be frozen for a couple days? I need them in 4 days but don’t want them to dry out.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        December 22, 2018 at 12:01 pm

        I think as long as you let them cool first and then wrap them super tight and squeeze out all the air, they'd be fine.

        Reply
    5. Maureen

      April 19, 2018 at 1:20 pm

      Is it possible to use a different kind of cheese, not cheese sticks?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        April 22, 2018 at 7:46 am

        Hi Maureen. Absolutely! Whole milk mozzarella is all you need. I prefer the firmer block as opposed to the soft one floating in liquid. -Krissy

        Reply
    6. Stephanie Tonche

      March 19, 2018 at 1:58 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this appetizer for a wine party I went to this past weekend. It was a good choice everyone loved them. It was also easy & fun to make with my teenager, I'll definitely make them again!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        March 19, 2018 at 1:59 pm

        Thanks, Stephanie! Glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    7. Knisha

      February 23, 2018 at 3:28 pm

      Hi Krissy,
      Do you think I could make these in a bundt pan like granny bread?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 24, 2018 at 7:44 am

        Yep! You'll just need to adjust the time so they all get cooked through. Maybe lower temp to prevent burning but longer cook time? Or cover to keep from burning?

        Reply
    8. Ashley

      December 05, 2017 at 8:54 am

      I need an appetizer for a church Christmas party and i want to bake this into the shape of a Christmas tree and use pepperoni like ornaments.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        December 06, 2017 at 1:48 pm

        Great idea!!!

        Reply
    9. Kimberly

      November 09, 2017 at 11:06 am

      These look delicious! Can you use pizza dough or do your recommend sticking to the biscuit dough?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        November 10, 2017 at 5:54 am

        Hi Kimberly, I actually think pizza dough might be even better! Krissy

        Reply
    10. Abby

      November 04, 2017 at 9:46 am

      Do you use regular Grands biscuits or the Flaky Layers?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        November 06, 2017 at 9:27 am

        either works

        Reply
      • Meg

        August 12, 2020 at 4:23 am

        If you make ahead, what are the directions for reheating? These look great! I can’t wait to try them!

        Reply
        • Krissy

          August 14, 2020 at 6:11 am

          I would wrap in foil to prevent too much browning and heat in oven. Maybe 300F for 15min?

          Reply
    11. Linda

      February 08, 2017 at 12:19 pm

      I made this with a slightly different twist, because I'm not a fan of canned biscuits. I used frozen yeast roll dough, the kind that comes in little balls. I let it thaw enough that I could cut each ball of dough in half before rolling it around the piece of cheese. Then followed the recipe as stated, except that I had to let them rise before cooking. Yum, yum, yum!!!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 12, 2017 at 6:26 am

        Sounds delish! Krissy

        Reply
    12. Adriana Meraz

      January 26, 2017 at 7:01 am

      Do I need to do it with frozen cheese sticks?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 12, 2017 at 6:32 am

        Nope.

        Reply
    13. Karen Freeman

      January 17, 2017 at 4:54 pm

      Stote boight string cheese does not melt. Very disappointed. Poster apparently did not use packaged string cheese in the video.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 12, 2017 at 6:44 am

        I did. I used Trader Joe's string cheese. Not lowfat. Krissy

        Reply
    14. Susan

      December 13, 2016 at 7:49 am

      This looks great! Should I use regular biscuit dough, or "grands" in the bigger can?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        January 16, 2017 at 8:03 am

        Use Grands, and then split the biscuit into layers.

        Reply
    15. Alison

      December 08, 2016 at 8:30 pm

      I'm planning on making these for a party at my house along with a couple of other appetizers. Do you think I can prepare it the night before and bake it the next day?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        December 09, 2016 at 9:48 am

        Yep!

        Reply
    16. Sabra

      October 20, 2016 at 12:25 am

      Can you use homemade biscuit dough instead of the packaged kind? (I live where can't get packaged). Would love to try this!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        October 26, 2016 at 5:25 am

        absolutely! -Krissy

        Reply
      • Jill

        December 29, 2016 at 8:16 am

        Any suggestions for a good from scratch biscuit dough?

        Reply
        • Krissy

          January 16, 2017 at 7:35 am

          Of course! http://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/flaky-buttermilk-biscuits/

          Reply
    17. Dawn W.

      October 04, 2016 at 2:39 pm

      Can this be made in any other kind of pan besides springform? I've never had a need for a springform pan, and as great as these bombs look, it's hard to justify the purchase (and storage) of one for this lone recipe. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        October 18, 2016 at 12:15 pm

        Any pan should work, you'll just have to lift them out. -Krissy

        Reply
        • Lea

          June 27, 2018 at 11:49 am

          Hi Krissy, what was the size of the pan that you used for this recipe? I was thinking about making these for a party but I don’t know much about cooking.

          Reply
          • Krissy

            June 28, 2018 at 12:10 pm

            Hi Lea, for these I used a 10 inch springform pan (like you would for a cheesecake) but you can use any baking dish or baking sheet. You don't need anything special!

            Reply
      • Dianna

        January 13, 2021 at 1:52 pm

        Can you use other cheeses?

        Reply
        • Krissy

          January 19, 2021 at 7:23 am

          You bet! Anything that melts nice will work.

          Reply
    18. June Vejar

      September 22, 2016 at 4:29 pm

      4 stars
      These are delicious. But, I found, that baking them at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, they were still pretty doughy. My feeling, though I haven't tried it yet, would be to bake them at 450, like you would with the biscuits. That way you get the better rise, crunch on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

      Reply
    19. Megan

      July 08, 2016 at 12:46 pm

      I was planning on making this tonight for a family get together but was wondering one thing-- do the cheese bombs travel well once they've been cooked? I'm really eager to try it but it'll probably have to endure an hour car ride before getting devoured.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        July 08, 2016 at 3:20 pm

        Hi Megan, They'll travel just fine! I would under cook them a bit and then finish them off in the oven when you get there. Thanks, krissy

        Reply

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