How to Make a Simple Charcuterie Board
A meat and cheese board is perfect for serving at a gathering or at home. It’s a great way to spice up your celebration, even if you’re only celebrating with your family!
A few things that will really help are knowing which cheeses to pair, how to cut cheese for your charcuterie board, and how to choose the best condiments for a charcuterie board.
Serve this alongside these oven baked French Dip Sliders and a crock of Maryland Crab Dip and you have a party in the making!
We have a whole list of Brie cheese recipes, too! Who doesn’t love Brie?
Appetizers are popular for holiday entertaining because it’s the time to get together with family and friends. I always make sure to have quality ingredients like Galileo® Salame, Galileo® Pepperoni, and cheeses in my fridge for putting together last minute appetizers.
A simple charcuterie board can serve a lot of people, with no cooking skills required!
The authentic Italian flavor of Galileo® Salame and Galileo® Pepperoni bring unique taste to my appetizers. You can pick them up right in the lunchmeat aisle at Walmart.
Galileo® Salame has a unique herb and spice blend and is deli thin sliced. Galileo® Pepperoni has a robust flavor profile, perfect for adding a kick to this simple charcuterie board.
Both have 0 grams of trans fat per serving, making them a great choice for pairing with the other ingredients. This board can be put together in so little time, making it my favorite recipe for quick hors d’oeuvres.
Why this Recipe Works
Most of the ingredients for this simple charcuterie board can be kept in your pantry or fridge, so you can pull this beautiful appetizer together at the last minute for holiday guests. You can also change out these ingredients for what you have on hand. See the variations below for ideas!
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Let’s build this simple charcuterie board! I’ve even shown you how I placed my items to make it even easier. The main ingredients in this charcuterie board are meats and cheeses.
I picked up Galileo® Salame and Galileo® Pepperoni at my local Walmart.
Meats – Galileo® Salame and Galileo® Pepperoni
Cheese – Gouda and cheddar
Spreads – green olive spread, bruschetta spread, and honey
Condiments – olives, pickles
I think the
Nuts – mixed, pistachios
Bread and Crackers – choose your favorite crackers, breadsticks
Equipment
Plain Wooden Charcuterie Board
My favorite jars for spreads (we put the spreads right in the fridge in these jars to use again! So easy!)
If you travel or take food to parties a lot, this board set is amazing!
How to Make It
Start with a good size board. Over time, I’ve used cutting boards and even a pizza board with a handle!
Start by deciding where you will put everything. I like to make sticky notes and put them right on the board! Use small bowls for spreads and dips.
I’ve marked the ingredients I’ve used to make it easier for you to put together your own simple charcuterie board.
Now that you know where everything goes, it’s easy to fill everything in. Just take away your notes as you place items on the board.
Variations
There are so many variations for a delicious easy charcuterie board. Start with quality meats and at least two kinds of cheese. A soft cheese like creamy brie and a hard cheese like aged cheddar work well.
The general rule of thumb is to have about 2 ounces of meat and 2 ounces of cheese per person.
- Savory Spread Ideas – black olive spread, hummus, roasted red pepper spread
- Sweet Spread Ideas – honey, red pepper jelly, orange marmalade
- Breads – crispy crackers, fig crisps, crostini, baguette slices
- Fresh fruit – grapes, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, or dried fruit
- Vegetables – cucumber, carrots, radishes, celery
- Nuts – macadamia, pecans, walnuts, even trail mix
- Condiments – pickles, olives, pepperoncini
It’s easy to add decorations for seasons or holidays. Colors for your favorite football team would be fun. Add a couple of small ornaments for a holiday charcuterie board.
Equipment
A wooden board or any large board like a cutting board for holding the items. Even a pizza stone is a great option. Small forks or toothpicks, cheese knives, Jars or small bowls for holding spreads. (You can even turn baby food jars into fashionable jars for spreads or dips!)
Storage
Leftover Galileo® Salame, Galileo® Pepperoni, and cheeses need to be refrigerated, along with the spreads. Cover any spreads with plastic wrap for a snack the next day.
Top tip
Work out placement of your items well in advance so you aren’t rushing. Start with items served at room temperature like nuts, crackers, dried fruit, and honey, so your Galileo® Salame, Galileo® Pepperoni, and cheeses can be put on the board just before serving.
Fill in the empty spaces with fresh herbs or more smaller items like nuts.
The fun part is serving this epic charcuterie board. When you take a little extra time to make a great appetizer, it really shows.
Take your own charcuterie platter to your next party and enjoy all the compliments!
More Charcuterie!
Simple Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- Board for serving (cutting board, pizza stone, etc.)
- Small forks, spoons, toothpicks
- Serving dishes or jars for spreads
Ingredients
- 7 ounces Galileo® Salame 1 package
- 7 ounces Galileo® Pepperoni 1 package
- 8 ounces Gouda cheese
- 8 ounces Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup pistachio nuts
- ½ cup mixed nuts
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup bruschetta spread
- ½ cup green olive spread
- ½ cup sweet gherkins
- ½ baguette toasted
- ½ cup green olives large
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup sweet peppers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 16 crackers assorted
Instructions
- Decide where each item will go on your board, placing sticky notes in each spot.
- Place the non-perishable items like crackers, nuts, olives, and vegetables on the board first.
- Add in Galileo® Salame and Galileo® Pepperoni.
- Add cheeses and jars or bowls of spreads.
- Add forks, spoons, and toothpicks.
- Fill in empty spots with rosemary or your favorite fresh herb.
