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Patty Catalano
Patty Catalano
Patty is a recipe developer and food writer. She worked Alton Brown’s Research Coordinator and podcast producer and in the Oxmoor House test kitchen. She loves maple syrup, coffee and board games. Patty lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children.
updated Dec 10, 2023
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While you may head to Costco for the fixings of a giant holiday feast, it may not be your first stop when shopping for a charcuterie board. There’s no need to buy a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano or 10 pounds of prosciutto, to assemble a bountiful — and affordable — charcuterie board from items you can buy at Costco.
There is no season that makes having a Costco membership more valuable than the holidays. With over a decade of bulk shopping and holiday hosting experience I’ve figured out how to fill my cart strategically so that I’m not hit with sticker shock at the register or too many leftovers once the party is over. I’m convinced that there is no better place to shop than Costco for your holiday charcuterie board. Here’s how to do it.
Essential Elements of a Holiday Charcuterie Board
- Cured meats: Choose your favorite packages of cured meat or a variety pack of peppered salami, Calabrese, chorizo, Genoa salami, Italian dry salami, and sopressata.
- Cheeses: Serving cheeses that differ in texture, age, and source (cow’s or sheep’s milk) adds interest to the board.
- Dips or spreads: In lieu of a soft cheese, serve a crowd-pleasing dip that can be enjoyed with bread or veggie slices.
- Fresh fruit and veggies: Add color and vibrancy to the platter with fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Nuts and dried fruit: Instead of buying individual packages of nuts and dried fruits, head to the snack section of Costco to snag a bag of trail mix. You’ll get more bang for your buck by buying the premixed package of nuts, fruit, and seeds.
- Bread: Sliced baguette for serving with the meat and cheese.
How to Make the Ultimate Charcuterie Board with Items from Costco
The selection of gourmet cheeses and charcuterie at Costco remains awe-inspiring, even to longtime members. The warehouse wonder has found the sweet spot of cost and quality, but it usually entails purchasing oversized cheese wedges or poster-size packages of salami. When variety, not quantity, is the main objective, look for multipacks. Although you won’t have as much control over every meat and cheese you serve, your platter will be full and you may discover a new favorite.
Use the same strategy when it comes to nuts and dried fruit. You’ll save some money by buying a mixture rather than individual nuts, dried fruits, and seeds. That said, you’re sure to have some leftovers from a Costco charcuterie board, so make sure to choose foods you won’t mind snacking on in the coming days.
Here’s what I picked to serve a party of 12 and why.
- Veroni Antipasti Charcuterie Sampler, $12.99 for 24 ounces: Party platters are a no-brainer for experimenting with specialty meats. I like to arrange one or two meats on the board at the start, then replace with new varieties as I replenish the board throughout the night. This sampler from Costco has five different types of meats — speck, smoked prosciutto, coppa, salame Toscano, and salame Calabrese.
- Kirkland Signature Cheese Flight, $24.99 for 1.8 pounds: Costco’s cheesemongers compiled a set of five cheeses, including cave-aged cheddar and Tuscan-rubbed Fontal.
- La Terra Fina Spinach Artichoke & Parmesan Dip, $9.89 for 31 ounces: Everyone Costco member’s favorite, spinach dip, but extra (with Parmesan!) for the season. Transfer the creamy dip from the big-box packaging to a small serving bowl for an artful display.
- Green Grapes, $7.29 for 3 pounds: You can’t go wrong with a big bunch of juicy fresh grapes. Keep grapes attached to the stem, but snip them into smaller clusters to make eating easy.
- Organic English Cucumbers, $5.99 for three: Slice seedless English cucumbers on the bias to make a chip-like shape. Guests can dip the crunchy coins or pile them high with paper-thin meat.
- Nature’s Garden Omega-3 Deluxe Mix, $9.89 for 26 ounces: A festive mix of cranberries, walnuts, pepitas, almonds, pecans, and pistachios means that no two handfuls are the same. If you aren’t able to find this exact nut mix, pick up the Power Up Mega Omega trail mix with a similar mix of nuts and seeds, plus a bonus of dried fruit. It costs $9.99 for a 26-ounce bag.
- Baguettes, $5.99 for two: Cut baguettes on the bias for a pretty slice. Serve as is or slide in the oven until barely toasted.
Total: $68.83; $5.74 per person
A Costco Charcuterie Board to Snack on All Month Long
Unless you’re hosting the party of the decade with a guest list to match (and in that case, I expect an invitation), you’ll probably be snacking on the leftovers in the days to come. Thankfully, all of the elements of this charcuterie board can be enjoyed throughout the holiday season, so there’ll be no holiday Miss Havisham vibes here. Plus, you’ll always have something to offer unexpected guests that happen to drop in.
Store cured meat as is in the fridge for two weeks. Wrap the cheese properly for mini charcuterie plate dinners on a night you don’t want to cook, or shred and freeze it to use in the most epic grilled cheese imaginable. Don’t forget to turn leftover baguettes into croutons or a breakfast casserole.
What are your favorite Costco charcuterie board additions? Tell us in the comments below.
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