Italian Antipasto Cream Cheese Log

Holiday Antipasto Cream cheese Log topped with oil marinated tomatoes, surrounded by crackers.

5 from 1 vote

Italian Antipasto Cream Cheese Log

This Italian Antipasto Cream Cheese Log has a cream cheese base that is studded with salami, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and Italian seasonings. You can't fail to impress with this festive and colorful appetizer.

Prep Time20

Cook Time0

Resting Time4

Total Time4 20

Course: Appetizer, Holiday appetizer

Cuisine: American-Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 205kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Equipment

Ingredients

Cheese Log:

16 oz cream cheese 500g softened (see notes)
⅓ cup sour cream Note 2
½ tsp thyme OR 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning instead of the individual dried herbs.
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon rosemary
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder salt, red pepper/chilli flakes (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon red pepper or chili flakes
2 cups cheddar or other cheese freshly grated (see notes)
9 oz roasted peppers 280g drained and finely chopped
6 oz salami 180g finely chopped (see notes)
¾ cup green olives finely chopped
⅓ cup green onion finely minced (3 - 4 stalks)

Topping and Serving suggestions:

7 oz sun-dried tomato strips with OIL 220g roughly chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped (or chives)
Rosemary sprigs decoration
Ritz, Triscuits, or other snack crackers for serving

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Spray a loaf pan with oil then line with cling wrap with overhang.
Mix Cheese Log ingredients together. Taste and adjust salt if needed (bear in mind the saltiness of the crackers you are serving with).
Scrape into loaf pan and level surface, pressing to remove air pockets. Smaller pan = taller loaf.
Cover with cling wrap overhang and refrigerate for 4 hours+ (up to 1 week).
Turn out onto platter, and peel off cling wrap.
Top with sun dried tomato and pour over oil. Garnish with parsley and rosemary sprigs to give it a festive look.
Best to serve closer to room temp than fridge cold. Serve with crackers! Knives for smearing optional - it's soft enough to scoop with crackers

Notes

1. Cream Cheese - I use Philadelphia blocks. If you can only get the spreadable kind, skip the sour cream.

2. Sour Cream - or yogurt or mayonnaise. It loosens the mixture a bit, making it easy to scoop with crackers.

3. Cheese - use any flavored, melting cheese you want, such as cheddar, Swiss, gruyere, or pepper jack. For an authentic Italian experience, use Italian Asiago.

We prefer not to use mozzarella for this recipe. We don't think it has enough flavor for a recipe like this.

We also prefer to use freshly grated cheese. Grated cheese blends better. and store-bought tends to have other ingredients along with the cheese. These are anti-clumping agents.

4. Salami - We love the hot! We buy the pre-sliced salami from the deli, which makes it easier to chop. Salami packs a good flavor punch and is a major flavoring element in this recipe.

Nutrition