Turn a Party Cheese Board into a Meal with these 10 Ingredients

Turn a Party Cheese Board into a Meal with these 10 ingredients, and elevate your hostess game. That’s right, you can serve a cheese plate for dinner just by adding a few items to round out the menu. Arranging an abundant cheese board is one of the best ideas for entertaining at home. Who needs a 3-course dinner when you can nibble on a charcuterie and cheese platter that exceeds expectations?

Cheese & Charcuterie platters are not just for appetizers but also make amazing meals for entertaining!

There’s never been a better time to explore new cheese board ideas. They are trending big time right now, and with good reason. Everyone LOVES cheese!

There are thousands of examples out there of cheese platters for entertaining, including a brunch cheese board and a chocolate & cheese dessert board. I’ve taken it a step further to turn a party cheese board into a meal that gives you all the major food groups: protein, vegetables, fruits, and carbs.

This cheese platter presentation is perfect for hosting a girls night party, a date night party for two, or a casual happy hour. Just follow these tips, ideas, and ingredients list.

I could make a meal off of a cheese board most nights of the week. A traditional cheese platter will benefit from a few extra components to turn it into a well-rounded meal. Then finish it up with a pretty fresh fruit board.

I recently put together this cheese board dinner platter with some of my favorite foods for noshing. I feel good about how all the important food groups are represented, and I think you will too.

Turn a party cheese board into a meal with these 10 ingredients:

• 2 Cheeses – Sartori is a favorite of mine. Here I served Citrus-Ginger BellaVitano and Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago.
• Charcuterie meat – Add some protein with cured meats like sliced salami shown here.
• Vegetables – This is where your cheese board begins to broaden its scope. Including a couple of green vegetables adds healthy fiber and vitamins. Asparagus spears and sugar snap peas, lightly steamed but still crisp, are good choices. I think carrots belong on most any crudites platter. That’s why I include them along with the green veggies. No matter how people feel about vegetables, they always love carrots!
• Nuts – Boost the protein factor by adding in some almonds. They give great crunch and flavor and come in so many varieties from raw, to smoked, to roasted.

HOSTESS TIP: Distribute colors of food so that everything stands out on its own. For instance, place 2 green items across from each other rather than next to each other. Use contrast as your guiding principal when arranging food.

• Dried fruit – The great thing about dried fruit is that they keep well in the pantry until you need them. For this platter I serve dried mango as it goes so well with the Citrus-Ginger cheese. Other great choices I turn to often are apricots, papaya, or dried cranberries.
• Fresh fruit – Serving fresh grapes with cheese and wine is as classic as, well, cheese and wine! For a bonus, toss in some fresh cherries for an edible garnish.
• Crackers or bread – When making a meal out of a cheese board I find that starchy carbs like bread or crackers help to cleans the palate as well as provide a vehicle for the cheese. Here I used crunchy pita chips because they’re light, crisp, and the flavor isn’t overpowering.
• Hummus – Yet another source of protein and fiber, hummus is the perfect dip for helping turn a party cheese board into a meal. It can be used to dip the vegetables as well as the pita chips.
• Kettle chips – Kettle or gourmet potato chips are my kryptonite. I love adding them to any party platter or meal so this is a natural fit. You could say they’re kind of my signature item!

There you have it. What do you think about serving a party cheese board as a dinner platter? I could do this at least once a week!