How to Turn a Charcuterie Board Into a Healthy Dinner, According to a Registered Dietitian

Change is good. Especially when the said change involves turning charcuterie boards, which are normally served as an appetizer, into a full meal. Charcuterie isn't normally designed to fill you up or be particularly nutritious. Usually, small bits of meat and cheese are piled onto not-so-satiating bread or crackers and folks end up fighting over the stingy amounts of fresh crudités, nuts, or dried fruit.

But with a few small changes and additions here and there, you can turn charcuterie into a dinner that is balanced, well-rounded, and healthy. We'll show you how to make a registered dietitian-approved board that hits all the main food groups—but still feels distinctly like charcuterie.

Rethinking Charcuterie for Dinner

Charcuterie boards probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind when you're trying to eat healthily, but making small changes to the standard plate can make a big difference. If you're going to indulge in a meat-and-cheese-centric dinner, you'll want to balance it out so you're eating as nutritious a meal as possible. Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, a registered dietician, nutritionist, and Brooklyn-based author, suggests reframing how we think about charcuterie boards, focusing more heavily on fruits and vegetables (things that most of us aren't eating enough of) than other elements.

The most obvious charcuterie component is meat. Feller says that for people wanting to add an animal protein to the board, making an informed choice is key. Smoked and cured meats are high in nitrates, so if that's something you'd like to avoid eating, she suggests opting for other proteins like paté or chicken, pork, and duck liver. Each is similar in micronutrients and varies only slightly in terms of fat.

As for cheese, Feller recommends thinking about what you can best tolerate and going from there. All cheese is going to add calcium, potassium, and some protein to your charcuterie dinner, so choose the options that you most enjoy. People who are lactose intolerant might better digest aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, or goat and sheep-milk cheese instead of cow-milk dairy products. If you're watching your sodium content, lower-sodium cheeses like fresh mozzarella, burrata, and ricotta are all great options.

Perhaps the most important way to make your board as nutritious as possible is to be generous with healthy carbohydrates. A mix of raw and lightly cooked vegetables is ideal when paired with protein and fat. 

Feller also recommends adding even more flavor and nutrition to the board with nuts and fermented products. She loves seasoned nuts like tamari almonds or turmeric-spiced cashews–both are good sources of plant-based protein and prebiotic fiber. Dry roasted edamame also adds a fun new element. Pickled and fermented vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut add crunch and healthy probiotics.

Components of a Charcuterie Board Dinner

Pick some of your favorite meats, cheeses, bread, and accoutrements that fill the roles of protein, carbohydrates, and fat when make a charcuterie board that's dinner-worthy. Feller notes that there is no "one-size fits all" formula for this. Variety and preference are what will keep you satisfied and eating intuitively.

Meats

According to Feller, including dietary sources of protein, like the meats mentioned above, is essential to supporting metabolic growth and development. They also help build new cells and repair existing ones.

• Cured meats (bresaola, capicola, chorizo, jamon serrano, prosciutto, salami, saucisson, sopressata, summer sausage)
• Smoked meats (andouille, kielbasa)
• Spreadable meats (liver, 'nduja, paté, rillettes)
• Tinned fish (anchovies, herring, mackerel, mussels, salmon, sardines)
  

Cheeses

Like protein, fat supports metabolic health and cellular function. It's also needed in order for the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins (from both food sources and supplements) like vitamins A, D, E, and K. Cheese provides some of the fat necessary for that absorption.

• Soft cheese (burrata, Camembert, feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, stracciatella)
• Semi-soft cheese (fontina, havarti, Muenster, Roquefort, taleggio)
• Semi-hard cheese (aged cheddar, Emmentaler, gouda, manchego)
• Hard cheese (Grana Padano, Mimolette, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino-Romano)
  

Bread and Crackers

Carbohydrates are not a monolith—they can be either simple (bread, crackers) or complex (non-starchy vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy). Feller adds that they are the brain's preferred source of energy, so they are vital to our overall health.

• Crusty bread (baguette, ciabatta)
• Crackers (seeded, wafer, whole wheat)
• Breadsticks and grissini

Fruits, Vegetables, and Extras

The fiber found mostly in complex carbohydrates, like fruits and vegetables, supports gut health and helps regulate our blood sugar and cholesterol, says Feller—so be generous with this component when assembling your charcuterie board. Your long-term health will be the better for it.

• Fresh vegetables (baby bell peppers, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, mini cucumbers, radishes, snap peas)
• Fresh fruits (apples, berries, figs, grapes)
• Dried fruits (apricots, dates, persimmons)
• Nuts (corn nuts, Marcona almonds, tamari-spiced nuts)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Pickles and prepared vegetables (cornichons, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, pickled onions, pippara peppers, sun-dried tomato pesto)
• Condiments (hot honey, fig jam, garlic achaar, grainy mustard, mango chutney)
  

Healthy Food Ratios for a Charcuterie Board Dinner

What percentages of food groups will you find on Feller's plate? Her go-to dinner is compromised of 2 parts non-starchy vegetables, 1 part protein, and 1 part starch. Mix in healthy fats for good measure.

In order to get the most nutrition out of an otherwise indulgent meal, current dietary guidelines recommend a variety of vegetables, whole fruits, grains, dairy, protein, and oils, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Notice that fruits and vegetables are at the top of that list! Try building your charcuterie dinner around those ingredients and ratios and see how it keeps you full, satisfied, and healthy.