Cream Cheese Stuffed Olives Marinated in Lemon-Infused Olive Oil: Impressive and easy 10-minute appetizer made with only 4 ingredients!
In my last post featuring easy green pesto pasta, I wrote that we are currently having renovations in our kitchen. We arranged a small temporary kitchen corner in the living room but I still can't enjoy cooking to the fullest because there is no oven. I want to prove myself that having no real kitchen for some time is not an excuse for eating processed food or take-aways, eating out and not cooking at all. So I opt for simple food that involves minimum efforts.
These olives are exactly this kind of food. I barely need 10 minutes to make them and they go so well as a stand-alone appetizer or snack, as a garnish to pasta and salads, as a nice addition to a cheese plate, as a garnish to your Martini, etc, etc. It's a mess-free dish that can be made within minutes and yet look impressive! Whether you need a crowd pleaser, an appetizer for a family gathering or a date, olives are always good to serve.
You only need four ingredients to make them, assuming all of you already have salt and pepper at home. You want to use large green olives that have already been pitted. What you have to do with them is to stuff them with fluffy cream cheese using a pastry bag with a plain round tip. Transfer them in a jar, add a bit of lemon zest and juice, salt and black pepper and fill the jar with olive oil. That way they not only taste better but can be stored longer. You can use the olive oil from the jar later for cooking. It's a ready salad dressing that will fit to any spring/summer vegetable salad. I like to use it as a dressing for Greek salad, alongside with the stuffed olives.
I'm convinced that all the olive fans out there have to try these cream stuffed olives! Try to make them and leave a comment below! I'd love to know what you think. Here is a simple recipe for you:
Cream Cheese Stuffed Olives
Ingredients
- 150 grams or ⅔ cups soft cream cheese
- 400 grams or about 2 ½ cups large green olives pitted
- juice and zest of ½ lemon
- salt
- black pepper
- 100 ml or ½ cup e extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 sprigs fresh herbs (oregano thyme, rosemary) - optional
Instructions
- With a mixer, beat cheese until fluffy if it's a little stiff. Transfer to a pastry bag with a plain round tip. Pipe the cream cheese into each olive until full (½ - 2 teaspoon, depending on the size of your olives).
- Transfer the olives to a fitted jar. Chop the lemon zest and mix it with lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Pour the olive oil mixture into the jar until it covers the olives. You might want to add a little more olive oil. Add herbs if desired.
- Store the jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Best,
Elena
Cheese at Tiffany's says
What a great idea! I've seen blue cheese stuffed olives, but never have I seen cream cheese stuffed olives. The creaminess of the cheese and the salty bite of the olive sounds fantastic.
Elena Szeliga says
Oh thank you! Love them with blue cheese as well!