How to Make a Trader Joe's Charcuterie Board for $30
...or AROUND $30. As you'll see, I ended up going over a bit, but chances are, you won't eat all of everything that you buy, and you'll have leftovers for your NEXT Trader Joe's Charcuterie Board, so...winning!
With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought it might be fun to show how to put together the ultimate romantic snack/dinner. Does anyone else love to do a charcuterie board as their meal? I love some good cheese, some meat, snacks, and a glass of wine. It saves room for dessert afterwards, too 😉
While you can really go to any grocery store to find your charcuterie board essentials, I love hitting up Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's Charcuterie is one of my favorite things about TJ's! For one, their cheese section is awesome. Second, they always have fun options for nuts, crackers, and spreads! And lastly, their prices are worthy of the heart-eye emoji.
A Charcuterie Board for Under $30?!
Since putting together a charcuterie board can sometimes be a pricey event, I decided to challenge myself to create an awesome meat and cheese board for less than $30. That's where Trader Joe's comes in.
Here's the thing, I went over by about $6. How-EVER, technically the cost of one board will cost less than $30 because, unless you're creating a cheeseboard for a big group of people (in which case, you'll definitely spend more than $30!), you probably won't eat every single cracker in the box, every olive, and every piece of meat.
And definitely not all of the (holy delicious) truffle marcona almonds. Which, p.s., I FORGOT to add to my board for the photos!! Doh. But don't forget them...they are delicious!
How To Create a Trader Joe's Charcuterie Board
So to create a Trader Joe's Charcuterie Board, I like to go to the store knowing what basics I'll need. For me, I think a great one is comprised of a hard cheese, a soft spreadable cheese, and something in the middle. So for this charcuterie board, I have Parmesan Reggiano for the hard cheese, a Blue Cambozola (OMG so good) for the soft cheese, and a Gouda for the in between.
I like to have two different kinds of crackers/carbs, a fruit, some meat, a spread like hummus or in this case TJ's Eggplant Garlic Spread, and some nuts. So here's what I ended up with this time:
Brioche Toasts $1.99
Eggplant Garlic Spread $2.40
Italian Meat Combo Tray $5.49
Italian Breadsticks $1.49
Grapes $3.99
Olives $3.99
Parmesan Reggiano $5.21
Truffle Marcona Almonds $6.49
Blue Cambozola $3.75
Double Cream Gouda $1.68
Total: $36.48
So like I said, it wasn't UNDER $30. Realistically, you definitely won't eat all of the almonds, which were the most expensive item. AND if you want to just take the almonds out altogether (although, they're worth every penny), it's 29.99 BOOM. Under $30. Add a $4 bouquet and a $5 bottle wine from their liquor store and you have Valentine's Day for $40!
