Impress your friends. We make entertaining easy with this delicious Nacho Cat cheese ball recipe! The next time company is coming, make the centerpiece—conversationally and otherwise—this zesty feline-inspired appetizer. (Note: this snack-tastic cheese ball is intended for human, not feline consumption)

Serves 15-20
I’ll take a cat in cheese ball form any time. The nacho-cheesy flavour of this cat works really well with tortilla chips, but if you try to dip a chip into this feline, it’ll break. Instead, spread the cheese onto tortilla chips, or serve it with crackers instead.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1⁄2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, preferably orange
  • 1 tablespoon minced onion
  • 1 jalapeño, cored, seeded, and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato salsa
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Pinch coarse salt
  • 1 carrot, 2 nacho cheese tortilla chips, 1 pitted black olive, and fresh chives, for decorating
  • Tortilla chips or crackers, for serving

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Using a stand mixer or a bowl and a spatula, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, onion, jalapeño, salsa, cumin, and salt until combined. Form the mixture into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  2. While the mixture is chilling, peel strips from the carrot to use as “stripes” on the cat and set aside. Peel the carrot until you reach the middle. Remove any bits of carrot sticking to the core of the carrot and reserve for the cat’s tail.
  3. Before serving, unwrap the cheese ball and break off a 3-ounce portion (about the size of a golf ball), roll into a ball, and set aside; this will be the cat’s head. Form the remaining cheese mixture into an egg shape, and place on a plate. Arrange the reserved carrot strips on the egg shape to make the stripes. Attach the reserved carrot to the back of the cat for the tail. Place the reserved golf ball–sized cheese ball on top of the cat to make the head. Stick the chips in for the cat’s ears. Cut the olive into eyes and a mouth and arrange on the cat’s face. Finish with pieces of chives for the cat’s whiskers.
  4. Serve with crackers.