Healthy Recipes Ingredient Dairy Cheese Nutty Pimiento Cheese Balls 5.0 (1) 1 Review These bite-size pimiento cheese balls from Jamie and Bobby Deen are a huge hit with kids (of all ages). They're the perfect appetizer to bring to a summer picnic. Jamie and Bobby share a passion for great home-cooked food with a Southern flair with their celebrity-chef mom, Paula Deen. These brothers are following in their mom's footsteps with their own TV shows, books and website. Our favorite part of what they're up to: healthy makeovers of some of Paula's recipes! Recipe adapted from The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books, 2011). By Carolyn Casner Carolyn Casner See More Carolyn Casner is a longtime recipe tester and contributor for EatingWell. Over the years, she has tested and developed hundreds of recipes for the magazine and website. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 22, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Sylvia Geiger, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Sylvia Geiger, M.S., RD As EatingWell’s former dietitian and nutrition advisor, Sylvia Geiger worked closely with the culinary and editorial team to ensure that our recipes are not only delicious, but also meet the nutrition parameters we have set for ourselves. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Cook Time: 30 mins Additional Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 42 Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen balls Nutrition Profile: Low-Carb Diabetes-Friendly Low-Sodium Heart-Healthy Vegetarian Gluten-Free Low-Calorie Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed and tested at its original yield and has not been tested at other yields. Note that only the ingredient list is scaled, so you may need to make adjustments to ingredient amounts, cooking times and equipment sizes in the recipe steps. Scaling could also impact the nutrition analysis. Original recipe (1X) yields 42 servings 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened (generous 1/4 cup) 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups) 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 cups) 3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 3 tablespoons drained chopped pimientos 1 teaspoon grated onion ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder Pinch of salt Pinch of freshly ground pepper 1 ½ cups finely chopped toasted pecans (see Tip) Directions Process cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add Cheddar, Monterey Jack, mayonnaise, pimientos, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Place pecans in a medium bowl. Roll the cheese mixture into 1-inch balls and coat each ball evenly with pecans. Serve the cheese balls at room temperature or chilled. Tips Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1 up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate the finished balls for up to 3 days. Tip: To toast whole nuts, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. Originally appeared: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2011 Save Rate Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 66 Calories 6g Fat 1g Carbs 3g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 42 Serving Size 1 cheese ball Calories 66 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 1g 0% Dietary Fiber 0g 1% Total Sugars 0g Protein 3g 6% Total Fat 6g 7% Saturated Fat 2g 12% Cholesterol 12mg 4% Vitamin A 145IU 3% Vitamin C 1mg 1% Folate 2mcg 0% Sodium 84mg 4% Calcium 83mg 6% Iron 0mg 1% Magnesium 5mg 1% Potassium 19mg 0% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.