Easy Thanksgiving Antipasto Platter

*This post is sponsored by Stop & Shop but the content and opinions expressed here are my own*

Start your holidays off right with a beautiful, delicious, and easy Thanksgiving Antipasto Platter. Plus, simple tips to keep it budget-friendly!

 

This might sound weird coming from a food blogger but: I've never hosted Thanksgiving dinner. For decades now, my family has celebrated the holiday with our beloved friends at their home. We were doing Friendsgiving before it was a thing! So, I don't have awesome tips on roasting the perfect turkey...but I do know how to be a fantastic guest.

For one thing, if someone is hosting you for the holiday, you'd better believe they are doing a ton of food prep and cooking. Share your host's burden by bringing part of the Thanksgiving meal—it will surely be appreciated. 

I love to offer my hosts an Easy Antipasto Platter for the holiday celebration. First things first: gotta do some shopping for fabulous ingredients. The great thing is that I can get everything I need all at my local Stop and Shop! Freshly-baked breads, delicious cheeses and meats, as well as delectable olives, crackers, pickled veggies, and seasonal produce are all here. Talk about one-stop shopping.

So many fresh mozzarella options!

I want to dive into the olive bar.

Gotta love an in-house bakery for fresh breads.

Any time we can get together to celebrate family, food, and tradition it's always a time of celebration and thanksgiving. So, while raw veggies and dip make the rounds at most people's holiday parties, I like to bring some of my Italian heritage to the table with my antipasti. It might not be the traditional Thanksgiving but it is our tradition.

 

There are no hard and fast rules for putting together a platter of antipasti. But variety is important! Not only is a diverse platter prettier, but different textures and flavors will keep your tastebuds tantalized. Aim for a variety of cheeses, fruits and/or veggies, bread and crackers, nuts, and meats. Go for different shapes, colors, heights—keep it interesting! Oh, and use the biggest platter you've got, so you can fit a ton of delicious snacks on top; I used the bottom of a large carving board for this Easy Thanksgiving Antipasto Platter. 

When planning your antipasto, keep your budget in mind: use smaller amounts of the most expensive items and fill the platter with the more budget-friendly foods. No one will notice that you've got more cheddar than brie!

Cheeses: my platter has a triple creme brie, fresh mozzarella, and Cabot sharp cheddar. I left the triangle of brie whole for guests to cut into; I sliced the cheddar into rectangles and piled them in the center; I cut the mozzarella into ovals and fanned them out. See how they all add a different shape and dimension to the platter?

*Budget tip: don't just look for cheeses in the gourmet or deli section. You can find some great ones in the regular dairy area. I got this Seriously Sharp Cabot Cheddar (one of my faves!) on sale at Stop and Shop. I love a grocery bargain!

Bread and crackers: slice up some fresh baguette, stack up seeded flatbread crackers, and then put some tall crispy breadsticks in a little glass. Lots of yumminess, with a variety of textures and flavors.

 

Fruits and Nuts: dried fruits—I used apricots and cranberries for this platter—add wonderful color and sweetness and are great this time of year, when fresh fruit isn't as plentiful; salty pistachios and sweet glazed pecans are a fantastic, crunchy counterpart to the chewy fruit. I also like to add a small bowl of another sweet element, like honey or fig jam, which are lovely with the cheeses.

*Budget tip: less expensive dried fruit and nuts—think raisins and peanuts—would work, too. Or use whatever you've already got in your pantry!

Vegetables: use all different types of veggies—fresh, jarred, marinated. I've got some raw sliced radishes (a great cracker alternative for low-carb people); beautiful fresh asparagus that I blanched, chilled, then tossed with a red wine vinaigrette; olives processed into a simple tapenade; small pickles; and marinated artichoke hearts that I drained well. Use small bowls on the Easy Thanksgiving Antipasto Platter for wetter items, like the tapenade and the artichoke hearts.

*Budget tip: visit your Stop and Shop antipasto bar and get just the amount of olives or other items you need for the platter. Or head over to the jarred veggie aisle and load up on small jars of pickled and marinated items (roasted peppers, pepperoncini, and giardiniera are all wonderful additions).

Meats: I've used salami for this platter, but pepperoni and prosciutto are also fabulous choices.

*Budget tip: visit Stop and Shop's deli and ask the butcher to slice your meat as thinly as possible. Not only are the thin slices easier for guests to eat, you can fan them out and pile them up so that it looks like you've got a lot!

So, head on over to Stop and Shop now for all your holiday dishes—new online customers can get $5 off now!

What are you making for Thanksgiving?