This Copycat Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta is an amazing simple and easy cheese dip recipe! Just like the restaurant and a great appetizer to serve up.
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Olive Garden Five Cheese Fonduta Recipe
I just love making restaurant copycat recipes at home and Olive Garden is definitely popular with all of you!
This cheese dip recipe was something they had previously, which has since been discontinued. But I always loved how unique it was with a smoky flavor.
You can now make this appetizer at home, and it is incredibly fast and easy to make! Perfect for a quick party or unexpected guests.
Ingredients in Olive Garden Fonduta
Here is what you need to make this restaurant copycat recipe:
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Smoked Provolone Cheese
- Sour Cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- Thyme
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Baguette
Most likely the restaurant used a smoked mozzarella, since that is listed in the item name. But I found it was very difficult to find smoked mozzarella in general.
Instead, I went with using the mozzarella inside of the dip itself and topping it with a smoked provolone. A smoked provolone is much easier to find and comes pre sliced in the cheese section of the grocery store. And you can normally find it in the name brand.
The blend of three cheeses brings a great depth of flavor, and the stretch comes from the mozzarella.
How to Make Copycat Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta
Make the crostini by slicing the bread into small pieces, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. I like to go on the thinner side to minimize mouth scraping.
Place in a layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes, flip, and then 2-3 minutes more until a very light golden brown. They will continue to harden a little when they cool.
Mix together the shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Spread it into a small baking dish and layer the top with the slices of the smoked provolone. Not every bit has to be covered as it will melt.
Bake it until the cheeses are melted, about 10 minutes. If desired and needed, put it under the broiler in the oven to brown up the top for just a few seconds and serve warm with the crostini.
Serving the Fonduta
You want to serve the cheese dip immediately while it is nice and warm.
The restaurant serves it with little slices of toasted bread called crostini. You could also use chips, crackers, or vegetables as desired.
If it starts to get cold and harden, you can microwave it for 30-60 seconds at a time to make it easier to serve again.
Copycat Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 baguette
- olive oil
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces smoked provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Slice the baguette into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Lay on a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake 5 minutes and flip the baguette slices. Bake another 3 minutes and remove from oven. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, mozzarella, Parmesan, thyme, red pepper flakes, and a dash of cayenne.
- Spread the cheese mixture into a small baking dish.
- Layer four slices of smoked provolone cheese over the top of the cheese mixture.
- Bake until melted and bubbling, approximately 10 minutes.
- Turn the oven off and then turn it onto the broil setting. Move the cheese dish up to the top rack position.
- Broil until parts of the cheese start to get a little golden brown, approximately 1 minute.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately with the toasted bread slices.
Notes
Nutrition
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