Really enjoyed these... a great change from meatballs - my family enjoyed them too. I also cooked the cheese balls in the oven to avoid deep-frying - 350 degrees for 30 min. was all that was needed. I also placed them on parchment paper so I didn't have to grease the pan either. I substituted my own spiced tomato sauce but next time I'll try the one on the recipe. Thanks Debbie!
This is similar to the Italian Cheese Ball recipe I stole from Kettering Medical Center (Kettering Ohio) in 1980 - only they called for ground walnuts instead of pecans. I think thre's more flavor with walnuts. Strict carnivores I know don't care for this recipe and my kids hated it. I love this recipe however and so do all my veggie friends. NB: I avoid all frying so I brown the cheese balls in the oven first - 40 min at 350 F. It makes for a lot of oven time but cuts way down on the fat intake.
These are excellent! I am a vegetarian and couldn't ask for a more perfect snack or appetizer for a meal. They are absolutely delicious! I accidentally left out the pecans in the first time around and they were still great! I am making them again being sure that I remember the pecans this time! A (I hardly ever give five stars)
The cheeseballs themselves were fabulous. I left a lot of chunks in the pecans and they made for a wonderful texture. Next time though I will pass on the sauce. It tasted a bit too much like spaghetti-o sauce.
These are so delicious! I've made them for lots of people with great results. I use a carton of roasted red pepper soup for the sauce leave out the cumin. Yumm
Very interesting flavor but a little dry (especially if they've been sitting out at a party for a couple hours). I would probably recommend adding more cheese.
these were messy and tasted really strange. maybe the pecans weren't processed fully or something. i ended up with a pan full of oily nut mess.
This was a good meal and we will probably make it again. Next time I might just press it in the bottom of the pan instead of taking the time to make balls of it just to make it easier. I also prebaked it instead of frying it to make it easier as well. With those changes it can be an easy weeknight meal!
I agree with JFOURNIER these are similar to KMC's Italian Nut Balls. It is a really versatile meatball. I use pecan meal instead of chopped pecans and only 3/4 c bread crumbs. I bake mine for 15 minutes at 350 then cover with store bought or homemade marinara sauce mushroom gravy sweet and sour glaze etc. I bake the sauce covered meatball for 30 minutes at 325. They are wonderful! These make great breakfast patties if you use an ice-cream scoop to scoop them out onto a baking sheet. Then flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cool then package 3-4 patties in a zip-lock bag. Nuke about 30 seconds and they are ready to eat!
