Warm Oven Brie With Pesto

By
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer Jennifer Meier specializes in creating healthy and diet-specific recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/3/22
Warm Oven Brie With Pesto on a platter, served with sliced bread, pesto and grapes

The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Total: 26 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
655 Calories
61g Fat
4g Carbs
24g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 655
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 61g 78%
Saturated Fat 22g 109%
Cholesterol 101mg 34%
Sodium 833mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 341mg 26%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 245mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Soft, rich Brie cheese smothered with pesto is the type of appetizer you should never make at home alone because you'll eat the entire thing. The slightly warm cheese and creamy basil pesto melt together into a cheesy, garlicky appetizer that can be scooped up with slices of baguette.

There's no need to buy expensive Brie for this recipe; your favorite inexpensive supermarket cheese will do. Unless you have a store-bought pesto that you really love, take the time to make homemade pesto. It always seems to taste better and doesn't take all that much effort, just a food processor.​​

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

  • 1 large clove garlic

  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

  • 1/2- to 3/4-pound wedge brie

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Warm Oven Brie With Pesto in a bowl

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  2. Pre heat the oven to 325 F. In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, garlic, and cheese until finely chopped.

    pine nuts, garlic, and cheese in a food processor

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  3. With the food processor running, add the olive oil. Pulse until a paste is formed, about 30 to 40 seconds. Add basil leaves. Pulse just until the basil leaves are chopped and blended into the nut paste.

    Pesto in a food processor

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  4. Put the wedge or round of brie in a rimmed baking dish that can also be used to serve it, or onto a cookie sheet.

    Brie cheese on a plate

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  5. Warm the brie in the oven just until the edges are melting and bubbly, about 6 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overheat it or the Brie will completely melt.

    Brie on a plate that's on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  6. Spread the pesto on top of the Brie. Extra pesto can be spooned around the brie, or placed in a separate bowl.

    Warm Oven Brie With Pesto on top and in a bowl

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

Tips

  • If you prefer a pesto with a completely smooth texture, continue pulsing it in the food processor after adding the basil until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • To make this appetizer even more special, surround the Brie and pesto with sautéed mushrooms and whole, roasted garlic cloves.

Keep Pesto Green

Once chopped and bruised, basil leaves begin to lose their bright green color. Basil pesto often turns dark green or even brown if it's not eaten immediately. The flavor is still good (although not as good as very fresh pesto), but the color can be unappetizing.

So how can you keep pesto bright green? It's not easy, though there are a couple of tricks you can try:

  • Adding a little bit of fresh or blanched baby spinach leaves can help add some green color, and doesn't change the flavor of the pesto much.
  • Blanching the basil leaves in hot water to slow down the enzymes that turn the leaves brown can also help. This will give the pesto a slightly mushy texture and diminishes the flavor of the basil.

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