Chile Pesto Mozzarella Appetizers

Chile Pesto Mozzarella Appetizers are very simple and tasty – great for a get together. Serve with fruit or jam for interesting accents.

For a super simple appetizer full of interesting flavors, try Chile Pesto Mozzarella Appetizers. I’ve always loved experimenting with Italian flavors and chiles – they go together hand in glove. When you start with pesto, you already have an interesting combination of flavors that naturally fit with both heat and the flavor of chiles.

I used fresh mozzarella balls, a little smaller than golf balls. Can you use shredded mozzarella? Yes, but it will be a bit dryer, stretchier, and flavor is a little different – not as fresh a taste. It would still be good. You need to slice the balls into 1/4 inch disks, dry on paper towels (or crackers get soggy), and cover each cracker with a layer of mozzarella. Then it’s just a matter of topping with the pesto green chile mixture and broiling or nuking. This is very straightforward and tasty.

I served these with plum slices – and I like this even more when I put some plum on top and pop it into my mouth – nice combination. You might try the pesto green chile mixture on sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches (yeah!) and in potato salad. It’s a quick and easy flavor mixture that is actually quite flexible.

So experiment a little here – hope you like it!

Chile Pesto Mozzarella Appetizers

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

4 mins

Total time

14 mins

 

A simple combination of green chiles and pesto makes for a versatile and flavorful spread that makes a popular appetizer here

Author: Anita

Recipe type: appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican-Italian

Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup diced green chiles (either mild or hot)
• 3 tbsp pesto
• 4 oz Mozzarella balls
• 2 dozen Triscuits
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Blend green chiles & pesto
2. Slice mozzarella balls into ¼ inch rounds. Place on paper towels and pat the tops with paper towels to dry out a bit. You can use shredded mozzarella, but taste & texture will be a bit different.
3. On a cookie sheet, arrange slices of mozzarella on Triscuits to mostly cover. Spread a layer of pesto chile mixture on each to cover.
4. Broil 3-4 inches from broiler burners for about 4 minutes, till cheese is melted. (You can microwave for 15 seconds, but cheese will spread more and Triscuits will start getting soggy.)
5. Top each with fresh parsley and serve.

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