Antipasto Tree

A tree-shaped appetizer display featuring grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, olives, and peppers on skewers, garnished with rosemary, with salami and crackers at the base on a pedestal stand.

5 from 1 vote

🌲🧑🏻‍🎄🙌🏻 Similar ingredients that you'd find on a charcuterie board or antipasto platter, but presented in the form of a FUN and FESTIVE antipasto Christmas tree! Mozzarella cheese, olives, pepperoncini peppers, and fresh rosemary help create the tree branches, while a variety of meats create the tree skirt. An EASY appetizer recipe that you can assemble in about 20 minutes. It's perfect for holiday entertaining, Christmas parties, or New Year's Eve events!

Please note that measurement amounts are approximate and this is a flexible recipes. i.e. If you have 12 ounces of cheese rather than 10 ounces, it's fine. Feel free to make substitutions; read the blog post ingredients section for ideas.

Prep Time20

Cook Time0

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer, Holiday

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Antipasto Tree

Servings:

Calories: 312cal

Equipment

Ingredients

10 ounces cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes (any color; red, yellow, heirloom, etc.)
10 ounces mozzarella cheese balls (sold in small containers, packed in liquid/water, sometimes labeled as mozzarella pearls or cigliene)
16 ounces pitted Italian Castelvetrano olives (or your favorite olives)
5 ounces pitted kalamata olives (or your favorite olives)
16 ounces pepperoncini peppers (or use pieces of bell peppers or artichoke hearts)
2 ounces fresh rosemary sprigs cut into about 15-20 segments about 1-2" each
15 slices hard salami or pepperoni (or the sliced meat of your choice; see blog post for other ideas)
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling (optional but recommended)
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional but recommended)

Instructions

Unroll a 2 foot sheet of plastic wrap or saran wrap, place the foam core on one end, and roll up your foam core. Tip – This is done to keep the food from directly touching the foam core.
Begin to create the antipasto tree by inserting a toothpick halfway at the base of the cone. Then, add a cherry tomato to the toothpick. Continue this process around the bottom of the cone, alternating between the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese balls, Castelvetrano olives, kalamata olives, and pepperoncini. Tip - I use the pepperoncini sparingly since it takes up a lot of real estate on the tree!
As you move to the next layer, insert the ingredients into the gaps between the first layer. Continue this process, working yourself up the cone, until you have finished the tree
Place the rosemary sprigs into the gaps between the olives, tomatoes, and cheese, or as desired.
Use a pastry brush to brush on olive oil all over the tree. While this is optional, I recommend it to lock in moisture, prevent the ingredients from drying out, and it adds flavor. Tip - If you have a favorite flavored olive oil like basil, garlic, herb-infused, etc. it would be great here. Make-Ahead - If you are making this in advance of a party (just about 2 to 5 hours, not any longer), stop now, carefully insert the tree into a jumbo food storage bag or wrap it with plastic wrap very well to prevent drying out, and refrigerate it until you're ready to serve it.
Place your decorated tree on a serving platter or cutting board, and arrange the various slices of meat around the base of the cone to create the 'tree skirt'. You can also add some crackers or sliced French bread here.
Optionally, sprinkle with flaky sea salt as desired, and serve with crackers, bread, and any other charcuterie or antipasto ingredients you'd like.

Notes

Storage: The ingredients in theory will all keep quite well when stored separately, and airtight, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. However, after they've been handled and pricked with toothpicks and inserted into the cone and have sat out at a party or event, your mileage may vary with this if you really want to preserve the leftovers.

Nutrition