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Ina Garten’s No-Cook Mezze Appetizer Board Is Golden

- Ina Garten shared a no-cook mezze platter built from store-bought dips and snacks.
- The platter combines hummus, feta, olives, veggies and more for an effortless spread.
- Healthy, colorful and simple, it’s perfect for summer hosting without the stove.
As much as we love the rewarding feeling that comes from spending hours in the kitchen putting together a delicious homemade dinner, we also appreciate the ease of having a list of recipes we can throw together in a pinch. After all, there’s no better way to bond with friends and loved ones than sharing a meal together, and sometimes the best mealtime moments start with a spur-of-the-moment invite.
That’s why we’re loving the quick-and-easy appetizer Ina Garten shared on her Substack recently: a mezze platter assembled with store-bought ingredients and a few fresh items from the fridge that looks stunning *and* delicious.
“One of the things I love about a mezze platter is how everyone just goes crazy when you bring it to the table,” Garten says in her post. “It’s so simple to prepare, but it always looks incredibly impressive.”
Mezze is a term that’s similar to tapas—think Mediterranean appetizers served in a small-plate format. If you’ve snacked on a classic tray of bites like hummus, olives and stuffed grape leaves, you’ve already had it, perhaps without knowing the word.
Making the Barefoot Contessa’s mezze platter even more simple is the fact that she starts with a store-bought collection of Mediterranean-inspired dips and snacks and dresses them up a bit by assembling them herself on a serving board with a few extra ingredients. “I started with good-quality store-bought hummus, baba ganoush and feta, then dressed them up so they didn’t look store-bought,” writes Garten.
Then it’s just a matter of filling in the board with some delicious dippers and other quick bites. For Garten, that means savory olives, some toasted pita, cucumber, stuffed grape leaves and, as a final touch, cherry tomatoes on the vine.
Because this platter of delights requires no stove or oven, it’s the perfect meal to throw together during hot weather, too. And, while your grocery store may stock a pre-made mezze platter, it’s pretty easy to grab the ingredients individually if they don’t. To make a platter like Garten’s, hit your local grocery store in search of a pre-made platter or a selection of Mediterranean dips, cheeses and snacks that sound delicious to you.
We suggest a flavorful hummus, some feta cheese and a selection of olives as a base, plus extras like baba ganoush (an eggplant-and-tahini-based dip), tabouleh (a chopped salad with bulgur, herbs and veggies) and stuffed grape leaves.
To add your own spin to the platter, add some vegetables like cucumbers or cherry tomatoes, and dress up the dips by adding things like fresh pomegranate seeds or high-quality olive oil on top. Serve with delicious dipping implements like pita chips, fresh bread or pita bread cut into triangular points. If you need help filling things out, you can always make a simple, no-cook dip like our 15-minute tahini dip or add grapes, another favorite cheese or some sliced bell pepper to help feed a crowd.
As an added bonus, a fresh mezze platter packs lots of healthy ingredients you can feel proud serving your dinner guests. Hummus is high in fiber and vitamins, olives provide heart-healthy fats and antioxidants and fresh tomatoes can help improve gut health and prevent heart disease. But the supreme benefit of a fresh meze platter using store-bought ingredients is its ease — simply throw everything together on a pretty wooden board and serve it to your guests. Once the delicious, colorful spread is on the table, all that’s left for you to do is enjoy yourself.
“It’s not quite like sitting on a terrace on the Mediterranean, but it’s the next best thing,” Garten notes at the close of her post.
And we’d have to agree. In fact, just thinking of fresh mezze has us craving other easy-and-delicious Mediterranean-inspired recipes, like our Slow Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup or One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta.