While I love to cook and try out new recipes, when the school year hits, I am all about a few easy dinners in our rotation to make life a little bit easier. One of my favorite weeknight dinners is "create your own charcuterie board night"! This no-cook dinner is quick, easy, and has something for everybody - it will satisfy even your pickiest eaters!
There are categories for each board, but what each "chef" chooses for that category is up to him/her! We always make sure our charcuterie boards have a protein, carb, COLOR, and something sweet! Read on for all the details!
1. Protein
If my kids don't have protein with their meals, they don't stop asking for snacks until the next meal rolls around. I always have them add their protein first - so I know that it will be a filling meal for them! For the meats,, try to use a variety of thickness and cuts to keep it interesting! Personally, I love salami thin sliced but prefer pepperoni a bit thicker.
Here are some protein ideas:
- deli turkey
- varied hard cheeses (we love cheddar and Manchego)
- spreadable cheese
- pepperoni
- salami
- meat sticks (we love the Vermont brand)
- nuts
- marinated mozzarella balls
2. Carbs
I think we can all agree that the best part of a charcuterie board is the carb that comes with it. Making your own at home is no exception! In my opinion, I find that choosing a cracker without a ton of flavor works best, so that you can taste all of the different flavors on the plate. These are our favorite carb sources:
- Triscuit thins
- round pita chips
- homemade crostini
- Good Thins
- water crackers
3. Color
I always make sure our boards have some "color" as colorful foods tend to be more nutritious. Some of our favorite ways to add color on our boards are:
- carrot chips
- gherkin pickles
- grapes
- apple slices
- pear slices
- dried fruits like apricots, dates, and raisins
- olives
- berries
- sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with salt and pepper
- pickled green beans (the Stonewall Kitchen ones are AHHHMAZINGGGG)
4. Something Sweet
Is there anything better than a salty and sweet combo? I love adding a little something sweet to my plate just for that flavor combination!
- jams
- red pepper jelly
- honey or honeycomb - if you haven't tried it, honeycomb is an amazing addition to a charcuterie plate. Like honey, it is best to buy local, but it can be hard to find.
- any of the fruits above
- dark chocolate (sounds weird, but a piece of dark chocolate drizzled with an amazing olive oil on a slice of cheese, sprinkled with some flaky salt is a flavor extravaganza - seriously, just try it.
EXTRAS:
I always like to add something extra to a board to make it feel a little more special. Here are some ideas for "extras":
- Add a dip. This could also be a sneaky way of getting in more veggies (buffalo cauliflower dip from Aldi) or protein (yogurt based dip) too!
- Get fancy - don't forget to take out the toothpicks to use as your dinner utensils! You could even add some fancy napkins too!
- Add some kid favorites: if you have a picky eater, it can help to add a couple of kid favorites to the board too. Heat up some chicken fingers or add a grilled cheese - whatever will give your child something familiar to eat, while exploring some new tastes as well!
- Get themed snacks - if you're celebrating a holiday, birthday, or are just feeling festive, try and come up with a theme for your boards!
- Use cookie cutters - cut up cheese, meats, and even some fruits into fun shapes using cookie cutters!
- If your kids don't like their foods to touch, use cupcake liners to separate the foods - and add some interest!
The "Perfect" Bite
We love having fun trying to achieve the "perfect bite". Here are some of our favorites:
- Me: water cracker, Manchego cheese, dark chocolate, drizzle of olive oil, pinch of flaky salt, pinch of red pepper flakes
- Nate: Pita cracker, pear slice, brie, spread honeycomb
- T: Triscuit thin, cheddar, pepperoni
- H: Cheddar (😆)
The best thing about this dinner is definitely how easy it comes together! All you need to do is grab a few things from the fridge and pantry, do a little chopping and dinner is served. Perfect for adventurous adults and picky toddlers too! What's your favorite charcuterie combination?
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