Classic Cheeseball Recipe with Marie Callender’s Pies

This Classic Cheese Ball Recipe shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EasyAsPotPie #CollectiveBias

All my kids love chicken pot pie, and I like making them for dinner because I can sneak in veggies without the kids noticing them. Sometimes I make my own chicken pot pies, but when I am short on time I’ve always used Marie Callender’s pot pies. There is now a family sized pot pie, which is perfect for my big ol’ crew of kids. I’ve always struggled with what to serve with a pot pie. Think about it. A pot pie is like everything I would normally serve at dinner all in one dish! It has meat, vegetables, and bread. This past year, I’ve perfected what I serve as sides along with my pot pies. My kids love when I make a simple, classic cheese ball and cut fruit to round out their meal. Most people only think of a cheese ball a party appetizer, but they are great for family weeknight meals, too. After all, kids love cheese, and they think the ball shape is fun!

A Classic Cheese Ball is easy to make! My only word of advice is to plan ahead since they do require a few hours of refrigeration. Make one in the morning (or during nap time), and then just pull it out for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 blocks of cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
• Dash of lemon juice
• Parsley flakes

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of four hours.

Remove from refrigerator and form into a ball. Sprinkle parsley flakes in a bowl or plate. Roll the ball in the parsley flakes until the cheese ball is covered.

I also whip up fruit skewers for our chicken pot pie meal. Since this week is Christmas, I enlisted my daughter’s help to make fruit “peppermint sticks.”

Cut bananas and strawberries on a diagonal. Place them on the skewer. Tell the kids they are eating faux peppermint sticks!

Here is the new Family Size Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie that I reference at the beginning of the post. It’s large enough for our whole family to enjoy with a few left-overs for lunch the next day. Visit the Marie Callender’s site or their Facebook page to learn more about all their product offerings. They also have additional side dish ideas on their recipe page!

Marie Callender’s pot pies are easily found in the frozen meals section at Walmart.

What are YOUR favorite side dishes for pot pies?