Looking to elevate your holiday lunch? Try this easy-to-make edible Christmas wreath appetizer with perfectly boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, cucumber cubes, and black olives skewered on knotted picks. Assemble in 20 minutes for a colourful, delicious appetizer that’s a true showstopper!
Holidays are nearly here, and as a dietitian striving to make celebrations both effortless and nourishing, I’m excited to share this Christmas wreath appetizer. If you’re on the hunt for creative egg recipes, this colourful recipe is a visually stunning addition to your holiday spread.
Preparing for the upcoming festivities involves blending culinary creativity with health-promoting choices. While the make-ahead Christmas wreath appetizer graces your table, allow me to introduce three more egg recipes that infuse both flavour and nutrition into your repertoire.
The Fluffy Pancakes Recipe, a timeless favourite since 2019, promises sheer delight with its airy perfection. I especially adore the exotic allure of Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, a flavour-packed delight for adventurous taste buds. And our family’s favourite finale? The Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes, capture the essence of the season’s warmth and spice in every delectable bite.
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Nutrition highlights
With plenty of indulgent holiday foods on the holiday menu, eggs offer an opportunity to include more nutrient-dense foods. Of course, eggs cook in minutes and can be prepared ahead of time to fit your hectic holiday schedule.
As well, eggs are:
- A good source of high-quality protein.
- An excellent or good source of eight essential nutrients, making them a perfect complement to any eating pattern, including Mediterranean, DASH, low-carb, and plant-based.
- Easy to love at any age and any meal.
- An easy choice if you’re following a plant-based diet because they pair well with vegetables, which many of us often don’t eat enough.
What you need to make this tasty egg recipe
- 16-inch lazy Susan or plate
- Sixteen 5.5-inch skewers
- Fresh rosemary sprigs ~120 g
- Fresh sage ~8 large leaves
Ingredients for skewers:
- Eight perfectly boiled eggs (large size)
- Sixteen pickled pepperoncini peppers. You could also use a bell pepper if you wish to avoid the heat of the pepperoncini pepper
- Sixteen cherry tomatoes
- Half a cucumber – cut into cubes
- Sixteen large pitted black olives
How to assemble the appetizer for your Christmas party
Get everything else ready before assembling the holiday wreath. For instance, make sure to drain the olives and peppers. Having these ingredients prepped and ready will make the assembly a breeze!
For a complete list of ingredient measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, you can find everything you need in the printable recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
Tips for the beginner cook
- Perfectly Boiled Eggs: Fun egg recipes need those easy-to-peel eggs, here’s my trick: boil them for 8.5 minutes in fully submerged, boiling water. Then, toss that hot water, rinse them under cold tap water a few times to stop the cooking, and peel them right away.
- Pepperoncini Prep: Don’t forget to give those pepperoncini peppers a good squeeze to get rid of the extra vinegar before you thread ’em.
- Slicing Eggs: Use a nice sharp knife to slice those boiled eggs evenly and carefully.
- Threading: Now, when you’re threading those egg halves onto the skewers, make sure you aim for the center for stability. Oh, and don’t forget to hold the egg as you thread everything else.
- Freshness Matters: Always go for the freshest herbs and ingredients! They really make a difference in how your centrepiece looks, tastes, and feels.
- Keep it Consistent: Thread everything in the same way to keep that holiday wreath looking picture-perfect.
- Preparation Ahead: You can prep the skewers beforehand and pop them in the fridge. But when it comes to arranging the herbs for your wreath, do it on the day you’re serving. Takes just about 5 minutes, and you want those herbs to look fresh, not wilted!
Food safe storage
If you’re prepping these ahead, pop the assembled skewers into an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. But for the best taste and texture, it’s a good idea to assemble the wreath right before serving!
If you decide to create this make-ahead christmas appetizer, I’d be thrilled to know your thoughts! Show me your culinary masterpiece on Instagram and tag me @DesiliciousRD. Your creative kitchen endeavors always brighten up the day!
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Gently peel and slice the boiled eggs widthwise. Prepare and gather the remaining ingredients.
- Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the edge of a board in a circular pattern, ensuring some sprigs extend outward to achieve the wreath appearance.
- Scatter sage leaves on top of the rosemary.
- Assemble the skewers by threading a pickled pepper, followed by an egg half, cherry tomato, cucumber, and finish with an olive. Repeat this process to create a total of 15 skewers.
- Carefully position the skewers in a circular arrangement on the board to form a beautiful and edible holiday wreath.
Notes
Tips for the beginner cook
- Perfectly Boiled Eggs: Fun egg recipes need those easy-to-peel eggs, here’s my trick: boil them for 8.5 minutes in fully submerged, boiling water. Then, toss that hot water, rinse them under cold tap water a few times to stop the cooking, and peel them right away.
- Pepperoncini Prep: Don’t forget to give those pepperoncini peppers a good squeeze to get rid of the extra vinegar before you thread ’em.
- Slicing Eggs: Use a nice sharp knife to slice those boiled eggs evenly and carefully.
- Threading: Now, when you’re threading those egg halves onto the skewers, make sure you aim for the center for stability. Oh, and don’t forget to hold the egg as you thread everything else.
- Freshness Matters: Always go for the freshest herbs and ingredients! They really make a difference in how your centrepiece looks, tastes, and feels.
- Keep it Consistent: Thread everything in the same way to keep that holiday wreath looking picture-perfect.
- Preparation Ahead: You can prep the skewers beforehand and pop them in the fridge. But when it comes to arranging the herbs for your wreath, do it on the day you’re serving. Takes just about 5 minutes, and you want those herbs to look fresh, not wilted!
Food safe storage
- If you’re prepping these ahead, pop the assembled skewers into an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. But for the best taste and texture, it’s a good idea to assemble the wreath right before serving!
Nutrition Information:
Keep in mind that the nutritional values provided are approximations and suggestions, and might fluctuate depending on ingredient variations, portion sizes, and recipe adjustments. This nutrition facts table cannot account for your individual needs. Your body — including your hunger and satiety cues — change daily. It’s perfectly fine to eat more or less on different days. Instead of letting food guilt take over, consider mindful eating.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.