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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here's a little before and after action to show you how much they expand during the cooking process.
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!!!
Pesto Cheese Bombs
CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO
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.
Dave Jarrett
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!
Kayla
These are delicious and easy to make!
Sheena
Don’t kill me.....Not a big fan of pesto. Can you use something other than pesto for this recipe????
Krissy
Gasp! You don't like pesto? Just messing with you. Honestly, a nice olive oil with some minced garlic would work great!
Kelsie
Can these be frozen for a couple days? I need them in 4 days but don’t want them to dry out.
Krissy
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.
Maureen
Is it possible to use a different kind of cheese, not cheese sticks?
Krissy
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
Stephanie Tonche
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!
Krissy
Thanks, Stephanie! Glad you enjoyed them!
Knisha
Hi Krissy,
Do you think I could make these in a bundt pan like granny bread?
Krissy
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?
Ashley
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.
Krissy
Great idea!!!
Kimberly
These look delicious! Can you use pizza dough or do your recommend sticking to the biscuit dough?
Krissy
Hi Kimberly, I actually think pizza dough might be even better! Krissy
Abby
Do you use regular Grands biscuits or the Flaky Layers?
Krissy
either works
Meg
If you make ahead, what are the directions for reheating? These look great! I can’t wait to try them!
Krissy
I would wrap in foil to prevent too much browning and heat in oven. Maybe 300F for 15min?
Linda
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!!!
Krissy
Sounds delish! Krissy
Adriana Meraz
Do I need to do it with frozen cheese sticks?
Krissy
Nope.
Karen Freeman
Stote boight string cheese does not melt. Very disappointed. Poster apparently did not use packaged string cheese in the video.
Krissy
I did. I used Trader Joe's string cheese. Not lowfat. Krissy
Susan
This looks great! Should I use regular biscuit dough, or "grands" in the bigger can?
Krissy
Use Grands, and then split the biscuit into layers.
Alison
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?
Krissy
Yep!
Sabra
Can you use homemade biscuit dough instead of the packaged kind? (I live where can't get packaged). Would love to try this!
Krissy
absolutely! -Krissy
Jill
Any suggestions for a good from scratch biscuit dough?
Krissy
Of course! http://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/flaky-buttermilk-biscuits/
Dawn W.
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!
Krissy
Any pan should work, you'll just have to lift them out. -Krissy
Lea
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.
Krissy
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!
Dianna
Can you use other cheeses?
Krissy
You bet! Anything that melts nice will work.
June Vejar
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.
Megan
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.
Krissy
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