Summer Garden Antipasto Platter

An antipasto platter is one of the easiest things to throw together when you’re entertaining.  There are no rules and you can use your favorite cheeses, cured meats, and veggies. This spread pretty much sums up the essence of my food world right now, which is tomatoes, cheese, and cucumbers (and eggplants and zucchini if you’ve been following).  Add in some salami and pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini chips, and I’m set.

I have been making a ridiculous amount of sun-dried cherry tomatoes and zucchini chips with the food dehydrator.  The zucchini chips are addictive (post coming soon on zucchini chips), so I added them to the antipasto platter but you can use any type of chips or crackers.  And store bought sun-dried tomatoes are fine, or add in some olives. I actually loved putting the sun-dried tomatoes on the zucchini chips – might need to do a post on sun-dried cherry tomatoes too….

You can use any kind of cheese.  For this board I used a sharp white cheddar, parmesan, and whole milk mozzarella.  I was going for caprese-type bites with the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil leaves.  For the cured meats I included peppered salami, pepperoni, and dry chorizo.  Again, you can use whatever cured meats you prefer, prosciutto would complement any antipasto board nicely.  And then I added in fresh sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

Maddie (my dog) loves cucumbers, seriously loves them. And it’s all my fault.  Last summer I started giving her the ends of the cucumbers when I sliced them up, and she devoured them.  And then she discovered that she could help herself to the cucumbers in the garden and shared her secret with her dog-best friend….let’s just say I didn’t get any cucumbers after that, and we now have a fence around the garden….

Antipasto platters work great for appetizers or snacks at parties.  Or you could make this your dinner like I do.  It’s perfect when it’s too hot to turn on the oven.  I do like to add a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar along with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to my tomatoes and cucumbers, so that’s always something to think about including with an antipasto platter if you’re entertaining.

Hope you enjoy this Summer Garden Antipasto Platter as much as we do!

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Summer Garden Antipasto Platter

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

Antipasto platters are perfect for a simple, elegant appetizer or meal. Include a variety of cheese, cured meats, garden fresh vegetables, and chips or crackers.

Servings: 4 -8

Author: Emily

Ingredients

• 2-4 oz of sharp white cheddar or cheddar of choice
• 2-4 oz of parmesan or hard cheese of choice
• 2-4 oz of whole milk mozzarella or soft cheese of choice
• 8 oz of a variety of cured meats
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• 2-3 small cucumbers sliced
• Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil or olives
• Crackers or chips of choice

Instructions

1. Arrange cheese, meats, and vegetables on a platter.
2. Serve with sun-dried tomatoes and crackers or chips of choice.
3. Enjoy