Warm Triple-Cheese Olive Dip

This Warm Triple-Cheese Olive Dip packs bold flavors and is perfect for serving at parties during this chilly season! It's a cream cheese based dip that is loaded with the tang of feta cheese and zing of chopped blue-cheese stuffed olives. Serve with pita chips and/or sliced baguette bread for an easy and pleasing appetizer.

I personally believe that the best way to enjoy olives is to simply pop them in your mouth. With quality olives I like to taste the flavors and feel the textures - so I rarely include them in recipes as an ingredient. However, I recently saw a holiday recipe for a cheesy olive dip and the idea sounded amazing. It seemed to me that by using minimal ingredients in a cheesy dip the flavor of the olives would still shine through - and I was right! Just a few ingredients for a TON of flavor.

For this Warm Triple-Cheese Olive Dip I used Mezzetta Blue Cheese Stuffed Appetizer Olives which are packed in dipping oil. So, after you devour enjoy all of the olives just pour the oil into a dipping dish and enjoy with sliced baguette. This is perfect for holiday get-togethers or for watching TV at home in your sweats.

I was inspired to serve Mezzetta's line of Appetizer Olives as an appetizer after seeing them featured in The Holiday Memories Sweepstakes. {the sweepstakes has prizes that are perfect for all you olive-lovers out there!} We had a small holiday shin-dig and served the Warm Triple-Cheese Olive Dip, with sliced baguette, alongside an olive tray filled with Mezzetta Appetizer Olives. When the olives were gone, guests were able to dip the baguette bread in the reserved dipping oil. You know food is a hit when there is none leftover, which was the case here.

Make sure to check out Mezzetta's The Holiday Memories Sweepstakes...

Prizes include: 
Grand Prize (1) - Instant Print Digital Camera plus a Ultimate Olive Lover’s Gift Basket including Mezzetta Olives, Olive Spoon, Cutting Board, Olive Bowl, Cocktail Napkins and Recipe Card.

Runner Up Prizes (10) - Ultimate Olive Lover’s Gift Basket including Mezzetta Olives, Olive Spoon, Cutting Board, Olive Bowl, Cocktail Napkins and Recipe Card.

Warm Triple-Cheese Olive Dip
PRINTABLE RECIPE
Ingredients
8oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
8oz feta cheese
15 Mezzetta Blue-Cheese Stuffed Appetizer Olives
¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Directions
1 Heat oven to 350
2 Mix together all ingredients until all ingredients are incorporated. A stand mixer works great for this!
3 Pour into a 7x5 baking dish {or a similar size} and bake for 45 minutes. Sides should be golden brown and middle should be starting to turn golden.
4 Serve with baguette and enjoy!!