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My love of all things French Onion knows no bounds. I love French Onion in its original soup form, I love it in a dip, I love it in a casserole, a chicken skillet… so why it took me so long to arrive at a French Onion Cheese Ball, I’ll never know. But better late than never. This cheese ball is a delight – salty and savory, but creamy too and coated completely in crunchy French fried onions.
As you probably already know, caramelized onions take patience but not a great deal of skill, and they’re the main component of anything ‘French onion.’ Here, we want them chopped to make for easy scoopability; stringy thin onions wouldn’t work so well in a cheese ball. You’ll cook the onions for a bit before bumping up their flavor with some balsamic vinegar, thyme, and salt and pepper and then letting them caramelize until they’re a deep, rich brown.
Once they’ve cooled, you mix them with some cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and Gruyere cheese for a serious punch of savory (but creamy) flavor. You shape the mixture into a ball and chill it…
… and once it’s firm, roll it allll around in French fried onions.
And who doesn’t love that little can of French fried onions? Their delicate crunch and oniony flavor is irresistible and they are all over this cheese ball.
With every bite, you get a nice crunch from the coating, but you also get a creamy base with soft, sweet onions and some nutty Gruyere mixed in. It’s the cheese ball of my dreams. I hope it’s yours, too.
French Onion Cheese Ball
Yield(s): Serves 6
5m prep time
30m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 can French fried onions
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil.
- Once oil is hot, add onions and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add balsamic vinegar, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are golden and caramelized, reducing heat if necessary, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and Gruyere cheese until well combined.
- Mix in cooled onions and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Shape cheese into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least one hour and up to overnight.
- Before serving, roll ball in French fried onions. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Life Jolie.