Appetizer #9 - Lemonchick's Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Tartlets

 The Year of Appetizers

Appetizer #9 - Lemonchick's Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Tartlets

    I had a friend over to my house this weekend and made appetizers for us to enjoy. I had this idea in my head to do something with sun-dried tomato and this is what I came up with. This is 100% my creation. You will have more filling than needed for the shells, so use it as a spread on crackers or toasted bagels. I ended up leaving them in the oven a little too long, so they turned out darker than I wanted. But, they still tasted great. I will definitely make these again. 

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup, plus about 2 tbsps shredded mozzarella, divided use

1 1/2 oz sun-dried tomato, moistened in water for a few minutes, drained and chopped *Note: This is just how I did this making them for the first time; I may try not moistening them the next time.

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 package phyllo mini tart shells (I used Athena brand; there are 15 shells in the package)

Directions:

Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and sun-dried tomato, stirring well before adding the mozzarella. Ensure ingredients are thoroughly combined. Place phyllo shells on a cookie sheet. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, gently fill the phyllo shells. Using the back of a small spoon, lightly press the filling into the shell. If desired, sprinkle a pinch or two of mozzarella cheese on top of the stuffed shells. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 375 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. You need the shells to be a little browned (and crispy), but you don't want the sprinkle of cheese to brown.

Lemonchick's Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Tartlets
Pictured with Appetizer #10 - Onion Tartlets