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I had a super impromptu and last-minute get-together dinner date with some of my girlfriends the other night, and because of my husband’s schedule that day, it made the most sense for me to host so that I could watch our son and be able to put him to bed while still hanging out with my besties. I’m so thankful that my girlfriends were so flexible and accommodating and it always fills my heart so full when we get to spend time together!

Thinking about throwing together some dinner for my friends on short notice and in the middle of summer when it’s always so hot… I decided to move forward with a Charcuterie Night. This is always a clutch move when I’m with my Soul Sisters… we have such a deep love for cheese! 🥰 We also had a salad with grilled chicken and a caprese salad to go along with the cheese board. Both of those salads complemented the charcuterie boards so nicely and created a perfect summer evening meal.

How to Build a Charcuterie Board

One of my dear friends (who lives out near Chicago), told me last fall that the best way to build a charcuterie board is to place your featured items first (the cheese, duh), then build everything else in groupings around the cheese. I think it’s important to remember that you can have a great charcuterie board even on a budget! Pick out 2-4 cheeses that you really love or are willing to be adventurous with and add in some complementing flavors and textures (crackers, bagel chips, fruit, veggies, honey and jams, nuts, salamis, etc.). It’s always a good idea to have several textural events that will complement the cheese that you choose. A sweet jam or honey can complement both soft and hard cheese. Apples and grapes can bring great balance. Any types of nuts can bring a great textural note, and adding salami or prosciutto can add a hearty element to your charcuterie board. One of my absolute favorite pairings, is a little bit of honey goat cheese, some fig jam, and a caramelized or glazed pecan on top of a cracker or bagel chip. 🤤 Trust me - it’s SO good!

Since we were having charcuterie as our main meal, I had an abundance of cheese (naturally!) and filled in with LOTS of extra goodies! I used my large acacia wood serving tray for our main platter, and then had a smaller marble tray set out for our goat cheese logs and some bowls of nuts. My friend Ashley built out the caprese salad (heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella slices, drizzled with balsamic glaze & fresh basil leaves) onto a giant white serving tray that I got at my wedding and always forget that I have! 😅 Add a few beautiful plates, some drink glasses and my handful of cheese knives and we were ready for several hours of life-giving chats!

Charcuterie Night, Cheese and Meat Boards, Charcuterie Boards, Girls Night, Caprese Salad, Fruit and Veggie Tray, Cheese Boards, Charcuterie Faves | Found on SimpleModestMom.com

Charcuterie Serveware and Table Decor Items, Serving Trays for Charcuterie Boards, Table Decor for Charcuterie Night | Found on SimpleModestMom.com

Charcuterie Serveware & Table Decor

You really don’t need much on your table for charcuterie night… you want the food to be the star of the show and you need plenty of room to reach everything! I picked up this super sweet new runner for my table, a few new salad plates, these adorable black cheese knives and budget-friendly plastic cups that feel quite elegant and summery! I already had the white square plates to pull out when we needed more room for our salad, and used serving trays that I already had in my cabinets to build my charcuterie boards. If you don’t have a nice wood or marble tray for charcuterie nights, you will definitely want to add one to your kitchen! They are so versatile and can be used to build out snack boards, brunch boards, and so much more! I also love stemless wine glasses, so you have less risk of knocking over a glass of wine when reaching over the table to get even more cheese. 🍷 🧀

Charcuterie Food Faves

I know there are SO many different items that you can add to a charcuterie board, but I went with about 7 types of cheese, 2 types of meats, 2 fruits (apples & grapes), a few types of nuts, some honey, fig jam, several varieties of crackers, and lots of veggies. This was definitely more cheese than I would normally do, and I don’t typically have as many veggies, but I really wanted this to be a hearty tray of food since it was our main meal.

If you want to recreate our charcuterie board, you can add all of the ingredients to Instacart with ONE CLICK - just click on the button below! (And of course remove any items you already have or don’t want to try.)