Keto Jalapeno Marinated Mozzarella

There’s no better delicious and quick snack than keto jalapeno marinated mozzarella. Cheesy, spicy, and incredibly yummy!

WHAT IS KETO JALAPENO MARINATED MOZZARELLA?

Marinated mozzarella is mozzarella that has been marinated in an oil with a mix of spices and/or flavors.

Jalapeno marinated mozzarella is mozzarella cheese cubes that have been marinated for at least 12 hours in olive oil.

As the name suggests, a main component of the marinade is minced jalapeno pepper, which works to impart a nice jalapeno flavor to the cheese.

Thanks to the ingredients needed to make this dish, it is very high in delicious fats and very low in carbohydrates.

It makes a perfect snack or side dish for your next meal!

JALAPENO MARINATED MOZZARELLA INGREDIENTS

To make this spicy, yummy, and delicious dish, you’ll need to make sure you have the following ingredients on hand.

• 1 lbs fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

After you have these ingredients together you are ready to go!

Should you have dried jalapenos instead of fresh, read on below for information on how to implement them into this recipe!

HOW TO MAKE MARINATED MOZZARELLA

Making this recipe is very easy. All it takes is a little prep time, some marinating time, and then voila! You’re done!

To start, place the mozzarella cubes in a large mixing bowl or glass storage bowl. Next, mix all other ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl.

Pour the spices mixture overtop the mozzarella cheese pieces. Gently mix to ensure the cheese is well coated.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. 24 hours is preferred! Uncover, eat, enjoy!

CHOOSING YOUR MOZZARELLA CHEESE

A good mozzarella cheese is essential to creating a delicious dish. In your local grocery or supermarket, you have quite a few choices when it comes to mozzarella cheese.

You’ll find sliced, cubed, blocked, rolled, and others. But what exactly is the best kind of mozzarella to choose?

Let’s discuss a few different ideas when it comes to selected a delicious mozzarella cheese for this recipe.

PROCESSED VS. FRESH

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, we are huge proponents of fresh ingredients.

Why is that, you might ask? Well, quite simply, fresh ingredients taste better and don’t come with all of the lingering added ingredients processing adds.

Having said that, this is no exception. If you have a choice between fresh and processed mozzarella, always choose fresh.

Will it be more expensive? Of course it will. But it will be totally worth it.

Fresh mozzarella will also have a higher moisture content, making it a more creamy and softer cheese.

Fresh will also have benefits for you in this recipe as well, as it will more easily soak up the olive oil and spices.

Generally, if looking for fresh mozzarella, it seems it can be found with the artisanal cheeses (discussed below), which (at least around here) are in a different part of the store than the processed cheeses.

STORE-BRAND VS. ARTISAN CHEESE

Artisanal cheeses are cheeses that are still made and/or crafted by hand in the traditions of years gone by.

The difference in artisanal cheese and store-bought cheese is the quality.

Is there anything wrong with store-brand cheese? As a general rule, no. Most store-brand cheeses have very few, if any, added ingredients and taste pretty good.

However, when it comes to the overall quality of the cheese, artisanal cheeses are far superior.

As a general rule, these cheese are fresher, have a better taste, and are made with as little machine-driven processing as possible.

Though they may be more expensive, artisanal cheeses are worth the extra money. If given the choice and you can, we highly suggest choosing an artisanal cheese over store-bought every time.

CAN I USE DRIED JALAPENOS?

Perhaps you live in an area where you can’t buy fresh jalapenos or dried jalapenos are more popular in grocery stores.

Either way, using them (like everything in life) comes with a list of pros and cons.

The answer to the question “but can I use them?” might be a bit more complicated than it seems.

First, you have to take a moment and ask yourself “why would I want to use dried jalapenos?”

If the answer is because you have some on hand or it’s all you can get locally, then read on below for directions on how to best work them into this dish.

On the flip side, if you are thinking of using them “just because,” then I suggest using fresh jalapenos instead.

As with almost all of our dishes, fresh ingredients are certainly preferred over dried, preserved, or canned ones.

WHAT ARE DRIED JALAPENOS?

Dried jalapenos are exactly what they sound like; jalapeno peppers that have been dried and packaged.

These peppers have a long shelf life and can be used in place of regular, fresh jalapeno peppers.

You generally find them in your local grocery store, but they are not as widespread as other dried peppers.

Taking a stroll down the International or Mexican/Spanish Cuisine aisle will probably turn up a bag of them.

After you find them, you might also notice you have multiple options as to how they are cut.

Some might be packaged as whole peppers, in slices, or diced/minced. If you have multiple choices, it’s up to you to decide which type you’d like to purchase and use.

PREPARING THE DRIED JALAPENOS FOR USE

When preparing to use dried jalapenos, be sure to add time to your preparation schedule for soaking and hydrating the peppers.

Throwing them in dry is not a great idea, as they need to hydrate to be more like normal peppers.

Soak the peppers in warm water for 30 – 45 minutes. After they have soaked and have plumped up, then they can be used.

If you have whole or sliced peppers, you’ll need to mince them for this recipe.

Unless you like your foods really spicy, make sure to remove the seeds as well. They contain the lions share of the spice in the pepper and can make for a super spicy dish if they are left in.

After you mince the jalapenos, you are set and ready to use them in this recipe!

DO I HAVE TO REMOVE THE SEEDS FROM THE PEPPERS?

Well, no, you don’t have to. However, unless you are a big fan of spicy foods, it is certainly recommended.

Anytime you have pepper with spice, such as a jalapeno, most of the spice in the pepper is actually found in the white rib of the pepper and the coating of the seeds.

If you don’t remove these parts (of course depending on the pepper) you are asking for a really spicy dish!

However, if you like a good spice, leave part of the rib and/or seeds in. They will impart part of this spice to the cheese as it marinates.

WHAT CAN I EAT THIS MARINATED MOZZARELLA WITH?

This jalapeno marinated mozzarella is a delicious side dish to any number of main course dishes.

This dish is 100% low-carb and keto all the way, so you don’t have to worry about it adding a lot of extra carbohydrates to your daily intake.

Here are some main course ideas you might like!

• Low-Carb Chicken Firecracker Meatballs
• Keto Bourbon Chicken
• Keto Jalapeno Popper Baked Chicken Spaghetti
• Keto Mississippi Roast

If you’d like more ideas, check out our recipe index, or take a look at all of our main course recipes.

WOULD THIS MOZZARELLA BE GOOD AS A SNACK?

Absolutely! In fact, you might find you enjoy it as a snack much more than you do as a side dish.

It is very easy to throw some of the cheese and olive oil “sauce” into a small air-tight container and take it with you for a snack whenever you want!

And, the best part is, this is a totally keto recipe, meaning it’s full of yummy fats and incredibly low in carbs!

STORING YOUR JALAPENO MARINATED MOZZARELLA

Storing this mozzarella is incredibly easy. The easisest way to store it is in an air-tight glass container.

Since it is recommended you marinate this in a dish you can store it in for the 12 hours, that makes storing it that much easier.

Of course, it can’t go without noting, refridgeration is absolutely necesssary for storing this dish.

Otherwise, you are asking for a very rancid cheese and oil dish and that isn’t good for anyone!

HOW LONG WILL THIS RECIPE LAST?

Your marinated mozzarella should last at least a week in the refridgerator.

However, if this seems like more than you can eat in that amount of time, you can easily halve the recipe and use a half pound of cheese instead.

---