Herby Manchego Spread
Jun 14, 2026
If you look through this collection of recipes, the conclusion is inescapable that I like cheese, and in particular, cheese spreads. This one was inspired by my having rediscovered a chunk of Manchego that I'd forgotten about.
Now, Manchego isn't a cheese one normally thinks about when deciding to make a cracker spread. It's a particular favorite to nibble on all by itself, or along with some fruit or wine. The kind of cheese you want to let melt in your mouth, rather than chew and swallow, and in fact, that had been the use to which we had put a portion of this particular chunk. I was in the mood, however, for a cracker spread, and with too-frequent use, had become a bit jaded with respect to the spread recipes I'd already published; so when I saw the Manchego sitting on that shelf in my 'fridge, I said to myself, "Why not?".
A brief search with Google only turned up about half a dozen spread recipes using Manchego, along with maybe a quarter million other pages for which the relationship with my search criteria was abysmally weak. I reviewed the few useful returns, and found that most of them were foodie recipes that I had no intention of actually following.
I did, however, take some hints about ingredients for a spread that seemed to be common to most of them; thus this recipe is my interpretation of the appropriate way for a normal human being to make a Manchego cheese spread.
Suggested Equipment:
- Stainless steel mixing bowl, 2 quart
- Cheese/vegetable grater, your favorite (optional, but probably necessary!)
- Electric food processor, chopper, or blender
- Common kitchen tools and measures
Ingredients:
| 8 | oz | Manchego cheese, grated | |
| ½ | cup | Omega 3 trail mix 1 | |
| ¼ | cup | Olive Oil2 | |
| ¼ | cup | Rosso Pesto3 | |
| 3 | Tbs | Cilantro, dry. Flaked or ground | |
| 2 | Tbs | Parsley, dry, flaked | |
| 1 | tsp | Thyme, dry, ground | |
| ½ | tsp | Garlic, dry, granulated |
Directions:
If your cheese did not come already grated, use your favorite gauge and type of grating tool to do the job. Decant the grated cheese into the mixing bowl.
Measure the trail mix, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and thyme into a food processor and pulse until finely divided, according to your preferences.
Measure the pesto and oil into the food processor. Pulse until the contents become a more or less uniform paste.
Add the paste to the bowl of grated cheese, and mix with the dinner fork or other suitable implement, until the paste is evenly distributed throughout the mix.
Adjust the firmness of the spread to your preferences using small amounts of additional olive oil.
Pack the completed spread into a sealable, refrigerator-safe container of suitable size (usually about 16 oz) and chill overnight.
Serve with crackers, crostini, raw veggies, chicharrones, or just plain bread. Whatever you like.
Manchego is a fairly dry, firm cheese and my first attempt at this spread yielded a somewhat dry, crumbly topping that didn't spread evenly or adhere very well to crackers. That minor inconvenience would likely be overcome by judicious additions of small amounts of mayonnaise, sour cream, or just plain olive oil. The flavor of the spread was very good, but required more mouth time to develop than is customary for many people, when using cracker spreads. Manchego cheese is more often used charcuterie style, or accompanied by fresh fruit, than as a component in another dish. Manchego's flavor needs the additional time to come through.
This is not the cracker spread you want to make if your inclination is to consume as much as you can, as fast as you can. On the other hand, those who are willing to sample and savor will be most pleasantly rewarded.
Catagories: Cheese, Spreads, Snacks, Party Food