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A simple cheese board consisting of marinated tomatoes, grilled veggies, bread, burrata cheese, and sweet fruits. An affordable way to create a beautiful and delicious meat and cheese board that takes almost no time to prepare and is the perfect appetizer for any party!

If there’s one thing I think every party needs, it’s a good cheese board. And when I say good, I really mean, GOOD.

Last week I asked you guys on Instagram if you’d prefer to see a last-minute 4th of July appetizer or dessert, and while it was a pretty close vote, an easy appetizer won. So today I bring you my go-to cheese board of the moment.

It’s simple, easy, super pretty, and extra darn delicious.

I was inspired by the summer heirloom tomatoes (my favorite), bell peppers, and zucchini to create this board. Normally when I make a cheese board it’s all about my favorite fruit and cheese pairings and rarely do I include vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I love veggies, but I also really love fruit and cheese.

This time however, I wanted to make a board that was very different from any other I have made, and one that used up all the produce I had on hand…a big bucket full of tomatoes, the smallest (cutest) baby zucchini and yellow summer squash, and some sweet bell peppers.

Enter this board.

It’s not overflowing with a million and one ingredients, but it’s GOOD. A lot of times cheese boards can get too big, too pricy, and honestly take hours to prepare. Trust me, I’m all about a big cheese board (did you see my Harvest Cheese Board in the cookbook?), but if I’m being honest, they can really be time consuming, and depending on the ingredients you use, really expensive to create.

This board is none of those things.

It’s really pretty easy, uses two cheeses, a few vegetables, bread, a couple of meats, and some fruit. Nothing overly fancy, nothing too expensive, but yet all really good things, and all really great together.

Some details for you.

Everything starts with the vegetables. If you’ve never marinated vegetables and then grilled them, you are missing out. Just like marinating meat adds tons of flavor, so does marinating veggies. It’s takes them from kind of boring to kind of awesome.

The marinade is a simple mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs, and garlic. Half of the marinade goes on the peppers and zucchini, the other half on the tomatoes. The peppers and zucchini get grilled and the tomatoes are left raw.

And it’s really as simple of that. Once you have the vegetables marinated/grilled all that’s left to do is assemble.

The key here is to keep it simple. Use two cheese that you LOVE. I went with burrata (so very typical of me) and a wedge of drunken goat. Personally, I love this combo and highly recommend it because these two cheeses are generally well loved by everyone. Other cheeses that would be great are a nice sharp cheddar, manchego, a good blue, or really whatever you love most. I always say use what YOU love.

For the meats, you can use one or two or even none. Totally up to you. I love prosciutto and soppressata, but salami is a good option too!

Then the bread. Again, use what you love most. I used an olive loaf that was delicious, but a nice sourdough or ciabatta would be equally great.

Throw on a fruit or two and DONE.

What’s great about this board is that all you really have to have is vegetables, a couple of cheeses, and either bread or crackers. Everything else is totally optional, so if you’re in a pinch and need a quick, clean-out-the-fridge appetizer, make this.

You can even swap out the veggies. Eggplant, mushrooms, corn, and even beets would all be great on the grill.

The one thing you HAVE to make is the tomatoes. They are so good, addicting even. Kind of like candy and even better with some burrata. Make em’, stare at their beauty, eat them, and enjoy.

So you see? This cheese board very much needs to be added to your menu for the 4th. I mean, right?!?

Also? I polled everyone on Instagram and you all agreed that a new cocktail was in order…

So more on that tomorrow…

If you make this fun cheese board, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this appetizer, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!