BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Pearls Mini Snacking Cheese, 8 oz Refrigerated Plastic Packet

This is a well-known brand for various Italian cheeses. I purchased this to try out an "Italian Orzo Salad," a pasta side dish from the amandahaascooks.com/italian-orzo-salad/ website whose recipe looked interesting online. These mozarella balls can be cut in halves or quarters and also can beused in caprese salad. It occurred to me later that one probably could also slice Kraft mozarella sticks to create small wheels of mozarella for perhaps firmer cheese pieces as a somewhat less expensive option. I tend to toss in other items into salads--Great Value cut Iitalian green beans are a favorite of mine (as are artichoke hearts or sliced canned beets--pick whatever appeals to you that goes well with cheese. I admit that in lieu of Italian dressing, I prefer the relatively milder Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegar salad dressing. I also may toss in fruit like strawberries or freestone peaches (cut up rinsed canned Del Monte slices), which go well with the balsamic dressing with or without the pasta--just because I enjoy fruit and cheese together, perhaps on a bed of lettuce or in mixed greens. There are lots of choices to go with this small round cheese, just for the fun of it . A little ham or chicken would also be a nice additional choice to enlarge the meal for a filling dinner salad.

I use the pearls in a lunch/dinner salad I pre-prep for the week. Their firm texture holds up to a mix of chickpeas, black beans, and fresh veggies in vinagrette. Also, these taste so good it's' hard not to sneak a few when adding to a charcuterie board. A bit price-y, perhaps, as they're not as versatile as sliced mozz, but I love them!