Easy Holiday Appetizer Recipes

Normally we’d be rev’ing up for holiday festivities and parties about now. We’d be having friends over, entertaining and hosting fun dinner parties. But just because we are all staying close to home this year doesn’t mean we can’t eat well! Everyone is still making holiday dishes, and we have some fun and easy holiday appetizer recipes to share.

The beauty of these holiday appetizer recipes is that anyone can make them for their family. Even if you aren’t throwing a big party these apps will come in handy. One of them even freezes so you can just heat up the amount you need!

First up is our Asparagus Tart, which sounds fancy but is actually quite simple with just five ingredients. Also included is our recipe for Feta Phyllo Triangles, which is even more simple with only four ingredients. Simple though they may be, these two recipes are delicious.

Easy Holiday Appetizer Recipes

Once you have read through these recipes, you’ll see how simple they are to create. Better yet, they are both so tasty your family and friends will be asking for more. If you have any vegetarians in the house, these two holiday appetizer recipes will make them super happy.

Asparagus Tart Recipe

You can find this recipe for Asparagus Tart in my new cookbook “One-Pan Cookbook for Men” which is available now on Amazon. I modified it here a bit to use a sheet pan instead of a cast iron pan, but the ingredients and process are the same.

The word “tart” makes this recipe sound difficult and fussy, but far from it. Using refrigerated dough and a loose arrangement makes it really easy. I make this for parties and cut into small pieces as an appetizer, and people go crazy for it.

Ingredients

• 1 frozen puff pastry dough sheet, thawed (such as Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 ½ pounds fresh or frozen asparagus, chopped in 2-inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. On a floured surface, roll the pastry dough into a rectangle about 9×12 in size. Prick the dough with a fork, one prick per inch.
3. Place the pan in the oven to bake for 10 minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove from oven.

   

4. Spread the cheese evenly across the bottom of the pan and top with asparagus.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the oil mixture over the asparagus evenly, making sure to coat each piece as thoroughly as possible.
6. Return pan to oven and bake until cheese is bubbling and asparagus is tender, for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Remove and slice into pieces to serve.

And just like that, you have one of our easy holiday appetizer recipes done. And on to the next one!

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Recipe for Feta Phyllo Triangles

(By Patti Werry) This recipe for Feta Phyllo Triangles is the perfect appetizer to serve when you want to wow your guests but not be trapped in the kitchen missing all the fun. The light, flaky phyllo dough is brushed with butter and filled with a tart combination of feta and cream cheeses. It makes for a hearty appetizer that will keep your guests coming back for more. Be sure to allow the triangles to cool for at least five minutes before serving them – many eager fans of Feta Phyllo Triangles have paid for their impatience with a burnt tongue!

With only four ingredients it comes together quickly – and it has to – to prevent the phyllo dough from drying out. Working with phyllo dough takes a little bit of practice, but is not as complicated as you might think.

Recipe for Feta Phyllo Triangles

Makes approximately 24 triangles

Ingredients

• 1 roll (48 sheets) of phyllo dough (purchase in the freezer section near the pie crust. Boxes contain two rolls of dough.)
• 1 8 ounce block of cream cheese (light cream/Neufchatel cheese works just fine)
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cube of butter, melted

Instructions

• Defrost phyllo dough overnight in the refrigerator or at least three hours at room temperature.
• Make sure you have a large, clean work surface to assemble the triangles.
• With a fork, blend the cream cheese and feta together in a bowl until combined.
• Remove the phyllo dough from the plastic sleeve and unroll it. To keep the dough from drying out, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap topped with a damp dishtowel. Keep the dough covered as much as possible as you assemble the triangles.

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Carefully take the top sheet of dough and place it horizontally on to your work surface. Brush the sheet of dough from top to bottom with the melted butter. Repeat with a second sheet of dough.
3. Take 1 – 2 tablespoons of filling and place it near the top left corner of the dough. Repeat with two more spoonfuls, one in the center and one on the bottom left of the dough, so you have three dollops of filling near the left edge of the dough.
4. Using a knife with a smooth blade, cut the dough into three strips, from left to right. Go slowly to prevent the dough from catching on the knife and tearing.
5. Lift the corner of one strip and fold the edge over to cover the filling and make a triangle. Continue to fold the triangle back and forth, like folding a flag, until you reach the end of the strip. Tuck any extra dough under and put the triangle on a cookie sheet.
6. Repeat with the other strips. Continue the process until you’ve used all the filling.
7. Bake the triangles at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least five minutes before serving.

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This is one of those easy holiday appetizer recipes that can be cut in half or doubled. Cooked triangles can be reheated in the oven. Uncooked triangles can be refrigerated if you’re going to serve them in a few days or frozen for longer storage. To keep the triangles from sticking together when freezing, put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet until frozen. Then transfer to a reusable plastic storage container and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Defrost before cooking.

More Holiday Recipes

If you are looking for other ideas on food to make for the holidays, here are a couple of our favs:

Tomato Soup Recipe and French Onion Soup Recipe

Ambrosia Salad Recipe