Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta

This copycat Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta recipe has Italian cheeses and sour cream to make a creamy, hot cheese appetizer that you won’t be able to resist.

Move over baked brie, there’s a new cheese dip in town! Did you ever have the cheesy Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta appetizer at Olive Garden? They don’t have it regularly anymore, and because of that, we had to make it at home.

We tweaked this dip recipe several different times and found just the right amount of cheeses and spices to imitate the one at the Olive Garden. I think we really nailed this recipe though, because our version is better. And it is dangerously easy to make.

How is this recipe smoked?

I called this cheese dip “smoked mozzarella fonduta” because that is what Olive Garden had on their menu. You’ll notice our recipe doesn’t have any smoked cheeses, but you could use a smoked provolone cheese if you’d like.

Or, if you have a smoker, heat this dip in there and you’ll get authentic smoke flavor.

How to Make Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta

• Get a medium size bowl and put in the cheeses, sour cream, and spices. Mix it all up well.

• Spray a 10″ cast iron skillet, or an 11×7 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Add the cheese mixture to the pan, pressing down lightly to make it even all around.

• Bake at 450ºF for 10 minutes, or until cheese looks bubbly and light brown. You’ll want those slightly crispy edges, it’s the best part of the whole thing.
• If it didn’t get quite brown enough on top, set the broiler to low and broil for 2-4 minutes. Watch it very closely so it doesn’t burn.

What to Serve with Mozzarella Cheese Dip

• Slice a loaf of Italian bread. You can make your own, or buy it at the store. Walmart has $1 Everything Italian Bread in their bakery department that is so, so good. And the price is perfect, too.
• Crackers. Think pita chips or pretzel crackers.
• Veggies. Red peppers are excellent with this.
• Potatoes. Air fry potato wedges or bake potatoes in the oven. Potatoes + cheese = delicious!

Recipe Variations

You can adapt this recipe any way you want to. You can just do mozzarella cheese, you can do a mixture of mozzarella and provolone, you could do whatever your favorite mixture is.

• Adding in cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese are great options, too. As long as you have the same amounts for the recipe, it doesn’t matter.
• Try adding in prosciutto.
• Put a layer of pepperoni slices on top for pizza fonduta.
• Add a ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika for a smokey flavor.

Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta

4.95 from 18 votes

This copycat Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta recipe has Italian cheeses and sour cream to make a creamy, cheesy appetizer that you won’t be able to say no to. Serve this savory dish with a side of Italian bread.

Servings 8 people

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (if you have ground thyme, only use ½ teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• dash cayenne pepper
• 6 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• 6 tablespoons Parmesan and Roman cheese blend*
• 1/2 cup diced Roma tomatoes
• 1 sprig parsley optional

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Mix well.
• Transfer to a 10″ round skillet or 11×7″ baking dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
• Top with diced tomatoes and parsley, if desired.
• Serve while warm with sliced Italian bread.

Video

Notes

Recipe Source: Food.com

For the smoothest texture, buy blocks of parmesan and romano and use a microplane cheese grater to grate the cheese very finely. This will help it melt in smoothly.

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the cheese dip. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 49mg | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Appetizer, Side, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Calories 341

Keyword appetizer recipe, baked cheesecake, game day, tailgate

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