Bacon Cheese Balls

Bacon Cheese Balls

Today's recipe is a quick and easy appetizer or snack. You can make this ahead of time and it freezes like a charm. It is a great time saver if you are planning a get-together. Are you are looking for delightful crispy snacks for entertaining or a game-day snack? Then why not try this yummy bacon cheese balls. This is one of the most requested ones at home and my kid loves this so much. I make it sometimes for his school lunch and it is always a hit. It is so addictive! Trust me it will be gone before you realize.

I tried this for the first time at a friend's dinner party and loved the flavor profile of this snack. I have been making this for so many years now and experimenting with different flavors. If you wish to make variations, continue reading. I have listed down below different ways to make this recipe extra special. Experiment a little and find a flavor combo that makes your taste buds happy!

Bacon cheese balls are deep-fried, bite-sized finger food that you cannot stop munching. It is a pretty straightforward recipe. The key ingredients for this recipe are potatoes, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Mashed potato mixed with bacon and cheddar cheese and fried till crispy and golden. Panko bread gives it a light and crispy coating and potatoes make it soft and fluffy on the inside. It has smokiness from the bacon, and it also adds a crispy crunch. The spicy kick is from cayenne pepper and black pepper. It is good cheesy in the inside and cheddar cheese melts extremely well. But you can add the cheese of your choice. It tastes delicious when it is warm and the cheese is melty and oozy. Give this recipe a try, you will surely love it.

Ingredients to make Cheese balls

The main ingredients in this recipe are cheddar cheese, crispy fried bacon, boiled potatoes, eggs, and breadcrumbs. This recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese and cream cheese. But you can go ahead and use any cheese of your choice. For this recipe, you can use boiled potatoes, but leftover mashed potatoes also work perfectly for this recipe. Potatoes make a creamy and soft filling. If you are using leftover potatoes, add a tablespoon of flour or bread crumbs to balance the moisture content of the filling. Use panko bread crumbs for a light and crispy coating. But you can also use regular bread crumbs too.

Simple and easy variations of cheese ball recipe

There are a few ways to alter or jazz up this simple bacon cheese balls recipe, here are a few ways. Experiment and find a flavor combo that you and your family can enjoy!

1)If you are not a fan of potatoes try using cooked and mashed chickpeas or mashed cauliflower instead.

2)This recipe calls for crispy fried bacon. But you can also use other cooked meat of your choices like chicken or beef. You can also use leftover roasted turkey, chicken or beef.

3)You can also make a veggie version with loads of green veggies, potatoes, carrots, peas and any cheese of your choice.

4)Green bell peppers or jalapenos taste delicious with bacon and cheese.

5)You can bring a surprising twist by adding sliced or quartered boiled eggs. Place and egg quarter in the center and roll. Boiled quail eggs or mozzarella cheese balls are fun options too.

6)Use any cheese of your choice. Cheddar cheese goes well with bacon. Cream cheese and goat cheese are also great options.

7) Use garlic powder, onion powder, ranch flavoring or herbs of your choice.

 Bacon Cheese Balls Recipe

Prep time- 20 minutes
Cooking time- 10 minutes
Recipe type- appetizer/ snack

Ingredients
Boiled potatoes- 2 medium
Sharp cheddar cheese- 1 cup
Cream Cheese- 2 tbs
Cooked bacon chopped- 3/4 cup
Onion powder- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 1/2 tsp
Pepper- powder- 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Cayenne pepper- 1/2 tsp
Chopped parsley- 2 tbs
Egg- 2
All purpose flour- 1/3 cup
Bread crumbs- 1 cup
Oil for frying- 2 cup

To cook bacon

Use the skillet method or bake in the oven. For the skillet method heat your skillet. When it is slightly warm place the bacon strips without overlapping. Cook in medium heat three to four minutes, flip and cook the other side. Continue to turn the strips till it reaches desired crispness. To bake in the oven line baking sheet with parchment paper and bacon strips without overlapping. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12- 15 minutes or till the desired level of crispiness. Drain into paper towels. When it cools down chop into small pieces and set aside.

To make the cheese balls

Boil potatoes and mash it gently. Add mashed potatoes, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese in a food processor and pulse till it combines. Add onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper and mix well. Combine chopped bacon and chopped parsley and roll into small lemon sized balls.

Now for the second step, lightly whisk the egg in a bowl. Spread bread crumbs on a plate and keep aside. 

Take a spoonful of the bacon cheese mixture and make small balls. Roll each ball in all-purpose flour and dip into eggs and then roll on bread crumbs. Refrigerate this for half an hour.

 Heat 2 cups of oil in a pan. When the oil is medium hot, gently slide the cheese into the oil and fry in batches. Fry till it is golden brown and drain on to paper towels. 

Freezing the cheese balls. 

Cheese balls are deep-fried snacks. You can make this ahead of time and it freezes well and is a great time saver. Make balls, dip in egg and coat with bread crumbs. Line them on a baking sheet and freeze them. Once it is frozen transfer it into freezer-safe zip lock bags and you always have cheese balls handy and ready to deep fry. But it is always good to freeze these cheese balls for them to retain their shape. When it is time to fry, allow it to defrost for half an hour and then fry.

You might also like,
Beef Vegetable cutlets
Persian Kotlet
Chicken Croquettes
Shami Kebab
Tuna Fish Patties
Italian Spicy Breaded Shrimp

Try it,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Kada Mutta - Quail Eggs Pepper Fry

Kada Mutta - Quail Eggs Pepper Fry

Today's recipe is a spicy and healthy quail egg fry with the spicy kick of black pepper. This recipe is all about keeping it simple- quick and easy to make and very appetizing. You can serve this as an appetizer, or serve with rice or laced pancake/appam. Gently fried quail eggs with sweet caramelized onions, fennel, curry leaves, and coconut oil add lots of flavors and it is finger-licking delicious. Quail eggs are my kid's new snacking favorite and are fun to eat.

These dainty, pretty eggs are cute as well as nutritious. It is considered a delicacy in Kerala. There is a popular saying “Aayiram kozhikku ara kaada” or half quail is equivalent to thousand chickens. Now we don't need to take it in a literal sense but it just means that quail and quail eggs have lots of health benefits. Yes it is more nutritious than your regular eggs! No wonder it is making quite a stir in the health world. If you are looking for healthy options to add to your diet, you should try quail eggs. It is an energy booster and improves metabolism. These tiny bird eggs are approximately 9-10 grams each. So you can have around 2-3 per serving. Look for quail eggs in your local grocery stores or Asian markets.

There are several recipes with kada/ quail and quail eggs. I have already posted Kerala style quail fry and quail roast but when it comes to eggs it is mostly boiled quail eggs sprinkled with salt and pepper. It is delicious on its own. Back home mom used to make kada mutta roast and sometimes pickled quail eggs. This recipe is a simple version of mom's kada mutta roast, but you can add few extra ingredients like tomatoes, bell pepper, cubed potatoes or spinach to make it more wholesome and filling. Give this recipe a try, you will surely love it.

Cooking quail eggs or Kada mutta
You can boil and cook just like the regular eggs, but it cooks faster. Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with water one inch above the eggs. Bring this water to a rolling boil and switch off the heat. Cover and let it sit for five minutes. Drain off the hot water and add cold water. Gently peel off the shell. You can refrigerate cooked eggs for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and snack on it, make egg salad or use as a cute topping for vegetable salads, stir-fried rice or pulao.

Kada mutta- Quail Eggs Pepper Fry

Cooking time- 10 minutes
Recipe type- side dish
Cuisine- Kerala/ India

Ingredients
Quail Eggs- 12
Onions-2 medium
Green chilly slit- 2
Ginger sliced- 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Fennel seeds- 3/4 tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Coconut oil- 1 tbs
salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves- 1 tbs

Boil quail eggs and set aside.
Chop onions into thin slices and cut ginger into thin strips.
Peel eggs and sprinkle salt and turmeric powder. Coat well. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and gently fry the eggs till slightly golden. Remove from the oil and set aside.
In the same pan saute onions, ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves. Add salt and saute till it evenly fried and golden brown. Mix pepper powder, chili powder, and fennel seeds and saute till oil separates. Add fried eggs and toss well. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Serve with lemon wedges. You can serve this as an appetizer, with steamed rice, chapathi or appam/laced pancake.

You might also like,
Quail/ Kada Fry
Kada/ Quail Roast
Tharavu Mutta Roast/ Duck egg roast
Golden Egg Curry/ Burmese sour duck egg curry
Akuri/ Parsi Style Scrambled Eggs
Easy Quinoa Egg Bhurji

Try it,
Hope you will all enjoy!