The concept is easy. Gather up some red and white finger foods, arrange them in candy cane “stripes,” dress it up with a few sprigs of fresh or sugared rosemary and frosty sugared cranberries, and some mini candy canes, and your Christmas appetizer situation is set!

For this board, we have a meat-and-dairy situation, but here are a ton of Christmas charcuterie board ingredient ideas. Mix and match to make your Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board vegetarian, vegan, meaty, or just uniquely yours!

Here are a whole bunch of red and white vegan, vegetarian, and meaty charcuterie ingredient ideas.

Red Vegan Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Cherry tomatoes
• Tomato slices
• Radishes
• Pickled red onions
• Cooked or pickled beets
• Strawberries
• Red grapes
• Pomegranate arils
• Watermelon
• Maraschino cherries
• Dried cherries
• Dried cranberries
• Sugared cranberries
• Tiny “sweety” pepper drops
• Red bell pepper strips
• Roasted red bell peppers
• Red mini bell peppers
• Red bella olives or other red-hued olives
• Field roast – the chipotle version has a nice reddish hue!
• Tofurky smoked ham deli slices

White Vegan Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Tofurky plant-based chicken, cubed
• Marinated tofu cubes
• Mini vegan marshmallows
• Cauliflower
• Jicama sticks
• Cocktail onions
• Fresh baguette or other bread sliced at an angle
• Saltine crackers
• Oyster crackers
• Water crackers
• Club crackers
• Any other light colored cracker!
• Popcorn
• Blanched almonds
• Salted marconi almonds

And here are some ideas include eggs and/or dairy – so that in addition to all of the vegan ideas above, you could add some of these to your board.

Red Vegetarian (But Not Vegan) Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Babybel cheese
• Red M&Ms
• Red Hershey’s kisses
• Red jelly beans
• Red licorice wheels
• Red macarons

White Vegetarian (But Not Vegan) Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Mini marshmallows
• Yogurt covered raisins
• Yogurt covered peanuts
• Yogurt/white-chocolate covered pretzels
• White jelly beans
• White macarons
• Parmesan cheese crisps (such as Whisps brand)
• Mini mozzarella balls
• Brie cheese cut into wedges
• Manchego cheese
• Goat cheese medallions
• Goat cheese with dried cranberries
• Provolone slices
• Havarti slices
• Chunks of Parmesan
• Asiago
• Feta chunks
• Whipped feta
• Straccino
• Basically any white or light cheese you love, served up however you like!
• Butter – served up butter board style, if you’re into that

Red Meaty Ingredients (or … Reddish) for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Dry (Soppressata) Salami
• Calabrese salami
• Pepperoni
• Mini pepperoni
• Prosciutto
• Beef jerky
• Chorizo
• Salami-wrapped panino (salami-wrapped cheese)

White Meaty Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Cubed cooked chicken
• Cubed smoked turkey

Or … Consider a Dessert Option!

Another idea is to make this board dessert-only! I’d swap in sprigs of peppermint for the rosemary and load on the sweets. Here are some some dessert-only ideas for the “stripes.” I’m thinking I might have to make one of these for next year!

Red Ingredients for Candy Cane Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board

• Strawberries
• Red grapes
• Pomegranate arils
• Watermelon
• Maraschino cherries
• Dried cherries
• Dried strawberries
• Dried cranberries
• Sugared cranberries
• Red M&Ms
• Red Hershey’s kisses
• Red jelly beans
• Red licorice wheels
• Red macarons

White Ingredients for Candy Cane Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board

• Mini marshmallows
• Mini marshmallows
• White M&Ms
• White chocolate chunks
• White fudge covered Oreos
• Yogurt covered raisins
• Yogurt covered peanuts
• Yogurt/white-chocolate covered pretzels
• White jelly beans
• White macarons
• Sugar cookies or shortbread cookies (with white frosting would be even prettier!)
• Powdered donut holes
• Mini meringue cookies

However you make your Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board your own, I hope you have the most cozy, relaxing, holiday full of love. ♥️

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Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board

Easy, flexible, and adorable! This festive appetizer is the perfect little snacking situation for all your holiday get-togethers. Easy to customize for any diet!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 187kcal

Author Kare

Equipment

• 1 Wooden board or platter Recommend a minimum of 14" tall by 10" wide

Ingredients

• 2 ounces white cheddar 1/2 cup; sliced
• 1 pepperoni link sliced; or meatless pepperoni
• 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 cup white chocolate covered pretzels
• 1/2 cup sugared or dried cranberries
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup; cubed
• 1 ounce dry salami about 8 slices; or meatless substitute
• 4 ounces cherry 'ciliegine' size mozzarella balls about 1/2 cup
• Fresh rosemary sprigs for decorating
• Mini candy canes for decorating

Instructions

• Beginning in the lower right corner of your board or platter, arrange a two-inch-tall row with the white cheddar. Add a row of the sliced pepperoni and repeat with the goat cheese and then the raspberries. Continue with the pretzels, creating a slight curve to the left to start the top of the "candy cane." Add the cranberries next to create the top of the candy cane. Add the cubed Monterey Jack cheese curving the opposite way of the pretzels, fold the salami and continue the shorter candy cane curve, and lastly add the mozzarella balls to finish the arrangement. Decorate with sprigs of rosemary and mini candy canes.

Notes

Make-ahead tips

The board is easiest to make right before serving so that the ingredients don’t move around or dry out (or, if you’re using mozzarella balls, so that they don’t form little puddles). However, you could always make the board as-is without the mozzarella or other delicate ingredients, cover carefully with plastic wrap, then add the mozzarella just before serving. 

Serving tips

The board can be left out for up to two hours; beyond that it’s best to put any leftovers back in the fridge. 

Quantity note

Exact amount of ingredients can vary depending on the size of your board or platter and how large you want to make your candy cane charcuterie.

Vegan & Vegetarian Options

Scroll up into the main blog post for tons of ingredient ideas for a vegan or vegetarian version. 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Yep. Pizza nachos. Where oh where have you been all my life, friend?!

It might be another one for the so-wrong-so-right files health-wise, but certainly it’s worth the splurge. And it fits right in with our mixed-diet household. Just cook up individual portions that have been customized to perfection with only the toppings you want, and none you don’t.

Mine are loaded with veggies – green peppers, mushrooms, onions – and lots of black olives. My resident carnivore, of course, goes for the meat. Not just pepperoni and not just sausage, but both. So pretty much a combination pizza assembled atop of a pile of tortilla chips.

I first spotted the idea on the wonderful comfort food blog, The Comfort of Cooking. They were inspired by Two Peas and Their Pod, who posted the recipe on Tasty Kitchen, who got the recipe from Dax Phillips of The Simple Comfort Food Blog. A blog chain of pizza nacho goodness.

Their versions include a divine-sounding garlic cream sauce, but I went for a more straightforward version made with classic pizza sauce. There was a bit of soggy chip syndrome where too much pizza sauce sat, so just be sure to distribute it well or, if you’re really averse to the occasional soggy chip, just drizzle the pizza sauce right on top before cooking.

Cheesy, pizza-y comfort food to the max.

So wrong. So right. Nachos and pizza, together forever.

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Combination Pizza Nachos with Optional Pepperoni and Sausage

You love pizza. You love nachos. You KNOW you’ll love pizza nachos. How could you not? Tortilla chips smothered in pizza sauce, classic combination pizza toppings, and gobs of ooey gooey cheese. Who needs crust?

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• Approx. 3 cups tortilla chips
• 2/3 cup pizza sauce here’s our very favorite recipe for homemade pizza sauce
• 1 small green pepper seeded and diced
• 1/2 small red onion diced
• 3 – 4 white button mushrooms sliced
• 1/4 cup black olives sliced
• 1 cup 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup 1 ounce shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

If adding optional pepperoni or sausage – per serving:

• 1/4 pound Italian sausage browned and drained
• 6 – 8 thin slices pepperoni cut into quarters

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Lay tortilla chips in a single layer, as much as possible, on two oven-proof plates or baking sheets.
• Using a spoon, evenly distribute the pizza sauce over the chips. If you prefer nachos without any semi-soggy bits, I recommend drizzling the sauce over the cheese instead.
• Evenly sprinkle the toppings – green pepper, red onion, mushrooms, olives, and meat, if using – over the top of each. Divide the cheeses between the two plates, sprinkling it over the top.
• Bake for about 8 – 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and nachos are heated through.
• Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then serve, taking care to avoid touching the hot plates (or better yet, transfer to a cool plate to serve).

The post Combination Pizza Nachos with Optional Pepperoni and Sausage appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I’m thinking pizza quesadillas are pretty self-explanatory … you take a tortilla, smear a little pizza sauce on it, and stuff it with cheese. Then you cook it up and dive in to the melty goodness.

But I thought I’d share this recipe for pizza quesadillas with you today, because they might be simple, but they’re extra delicious!

They’re also a great one-dish-two-ways meal – meat for the meat-eater, cheese and/or veggies for the vegetarian, and plain cheese for the selective kiddo. Also, they’re just absolutely easy and tasty!

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• Adaptations & Variations
• How to Make Pizza Quesadillas
• More Quesadilla Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Reviews & Comments

Ingredients

• Tortillas – I use flour tortillas, approximately 8-inches in diameter. For these quesadillas, I stuff half then fold it over. It makes cooking a lot easier!
• Mozzarella cheese – Low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella, preferably mozzarella you’ve shredded yourself so it melts well (pre-shredded are often coated in anti-caking agents that can give you a less-than-optimal melt).
• Parmesan cheese – For a little added boost of cheesy flavor!
• Pizza sauce – Use your favorite! Maybe you have some homemade pizza sauce on hand, or you are able to whip up this 5-minute fresh tomato pizza sauce. Or you have a fave from the store. Any will work!
• Optional toppings – Here’s where you can get creative! Add pepperoni or cooked sausage for the meat-eaters or pre-cook some veggies and stuff them in there (mushrooms, green peppers, and onions are great!). Or go with straight up cheese pizza quesadillas which are plenty great as-is!

Adaptations & Variations

• Go extra cheesy: Feel free to add more cheese like fontina, provolone, or cheddar. You’ll want to reduce the mozzarella a bit unless you’re okay with an overly cheesy pizza quesadilla. Doesn’t sound like a problem to me!
• Meat option: Add pepperoni or cooked sausage for the meat-eaters.
• Hawaiian pizza quesadilla: Add slices of Canadian bacon and pineapple. For a vegetarian Hawaiian pizza, I’ll sometimes use a vegetarian smoked ham meat product. It’s pretty good!
• Extra veggies: Dice and cook some onions, green peppers, and mushrooms for a veggie-stuffed pizza quesadilla.
• Vegan pizza quesadillas: Swap in meltable vegan cheese shreds.

How to Make Pizza Quesadillas

I like to make pizza quesadillas as half-quesadillas. Which means, I add the ingredients to the bottom “half moon” of the tortilla, then fold it over. I find the smaller size easier to handle and flip. Plus, sometimes we use our panini press for quesadillas and the smaller size fits perfectly in the press.

To prep them, simply add sauce and toppings to the bottom half of a tortilla, fold it over, and cook! To cook pizza quesadillas on the stovetop, add them to a large, hot pan coated with a little oil and cook, flipping occasionally, until golden outside and melted inside.

Serve with a little extra pizza sauce for dipping.

More Quesadilla Recipes

• Chipotle Butternut Squash & Black Bean Quesadillas
• Delicata Squash & Black Bean Quesadillas
• Grilled Peach Fontina Quesadillas
• Pear & Brie Quesadillas
• Quesadillas any which way

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Pizza Quesadillas

Cheesy, versatile, cheesy, easy, cheesy, fast, and did I mention cheesy? This scrumptious pizza-quesadilla hybrid is our new favorite easy weeknight meal.

Course dinner, lunch

Keyword pizza quesadilla, pizza quesadillas

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 400kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 flour tortillas 8-inch or so
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce + more for dipping, if desired

Instructions

• Lay 4 tortillas flat, and on the lower halves only, spread 2 tablespoons pizza sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce, dividing the mozzarella cheese and then the parmesan cheese between the four tortillas.
• Carefully fold the top half over to create a half-moon shape.
• Cook in a saute pan drizzled with vegetable oil or canola oil over medium-high heat, carefully flipping occasionally, until the cheese is melted and both sides are golden-brown. We also love to use a panini press, just place the in a pre-heated panini press and cook until cheese is melted and outside is golden-crisp. You can also bake quesadillas! Bake on a rimmed cooking sheet at 375°F, brush with a little olive oil, and bake for 8-10 minute until the cheese has melted and the quesadillas are warmed through.
• Cut into wedges and serve with additional pizza sauce for dipping.

Notes

4/1/2024 recipe update:

I doubled the recipe to serve 4 and I simplified the list of ingredients (this was originally a recipe for two four-cheese quesadilla with 3/4 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup fontina, 1/2 cup provolone and 1/4 cup Parmesan).

Nutrition

Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1093mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 798IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 620mg | Iron: 2mg

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