A Mediterranean mezze platter brings dips, roasted eggplant, fresh vegetables, olives, cheese, fruit, and warm pita together for a meal made to share.
A Mezze Platter Made for Sharing
Where I come from, a gathering is not complete without mezze. These small dishes are meant to be shared. They might start a meal, but in many parts of the Mediterranean, they can be the meal.
I often serve mezze in separate little dishes. For this platter, I bring everything together: two kinds of hummus, tzatziki, roasted eggplant finished with sumac, and plenty of fresh and briny things to eat alongside them. Set it out with warm pita, and let everyone make a plate as the conversation goes on.
You can make the dips yourself or use good-quality store-bought hummus and tzatziki. Start by salting and roasting the eggplant, then arrange everything else while it cooks.
What Goes on This Mezze Platter
- Dips: Creamy hummus and roasted red pepper hummus go on opposite sides of the platter. Spoon the tzatziki into the cored half-bell pepper and place it at the center.
- Roasted eggplant: Baby eggplants roast with olive oil, then get a sprinkle of sumac, a tart, citrusy spice. Their soft texture is especially good with the dips and pita.
- Fresh vegetables: Campari tomatoes and small, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers add something crisp and juicy for scooping and snacking. If you can’t find them, English cucumber and grape, cherry, or Roma tomatoes also work for this platter.
- Briny bites: Kalamata olives and marinated artichoke hearts bring contrast to the creamy dips and cheeses.
- Cheese, meat, and fruit: Cubed feta, baby mozzarella, prosciutto, and fresh figs round out the platter. Seedless grapes work in place of the figs.
- Bread: Warm pita bread is ideal for scooping up the dips. Rustic bread, crostini, or crackers work too.
How to Build a Mezze Platter
Start with the eggplant. Once it goes into the oven, you can arrange the rest of the platter while it roasts. Allow about 40 minutes if your dips are ready to use; making the dips from scratch takes additional time.
- Salt the eggplant. Slice the two baby eggplants lengthwise into pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Set them on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and leave them for about 20 minutes. Pat them dry.
- Roast the eggplant. Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the slices on a lightly oiled baking pan, drizzle generously with olive oil, and roast for about 20 minutes, until they are medium brown.
- Set out the dips. Place the classic hummus and roasted red pepper hummus on opposite sides of a large serving platter. Put the tzatziki in the cored half-bell pepper and set it in the center.
- Fill in the platter. Arrange the tomatoes, cucumber spears, olives, artichoke hearts, feta, mozzarella, prosciutto, and figs around the dips. When the eggplant is done, sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of sumac and add it to the platter.
- Serve with bread. Set out warm pita or rustic bread for scooping up the dips and vegetables.
Tips for Putting Your Mezze Platter Together
- Use the largest platter you have. Mezze is meant to be shared, and a generous platter gives everyone room to choose what they like. I sometimes use several small dishes instead; for a larger gathering, make more than one platter.
- Make the dips yourself or take a shortcut. Homemade hummus and tzatziki are welcome here, but good-quality store-bought versions make the platter easier to put together. Allow extra time if you make the dips from scratch.
What Else Can You Serve With Mezze?
You can serve this platter as an appetizer spread or put it at the center of a meal. Mezze is meant for lingering and sharing, so add other small dishes if you want a larger table.
Tabouli salad makes a fresh addition, and baba ganoush gives you another eggplant dish with a very different texture. You can also set out pickled vegetables, roasted vegetables, or spiced nuts in small bowls. Choose what suits your gathering; you don’t need all of them on the platter.
There really is no right or wrong way to mezze. The one rule: share.
Can You Make a Mezze Platter Ahead?
You can prepare the dips according to their own recipes and cut the vegetables before assembling the platter. If you put it together before guests arrive, cover and refrigerate it. Take it out a few minutes before serving, and warm the pita when you’re ready to eat.
More Mediterranean Dishes for Sharing
Middle Eastern
Smoky Loaded Eggplant Dip: Baba Ganoush
Appetizer and Mezze
Muhammara Recipe (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
Middle Eastern
Easy Authentic Falafel Recipe: Step-by-Step
Ingredients
- 2 baby eggplants, sliced lengthwise into pieces about 1/2 inch thick
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Traditional Creamy Hummus, or 10-ounce tub of quality store-bought hummus
- Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, or one 10-ounce tub of quality store-bought roasted red pepper hummus
- 1/2 bell pepper, any color, cored
- Homemade Greek Tzatziki, or quality store-bought tzatziki
- 6 Campari tomatoes, quartered
- 6 Persian cucumbers, sliced into spears
- Pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 (15-ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts
- 6 ounces Greek feta cheese, cubed, not crumbled
- 6 ounces baby mozzarella cheese balls
- 3 ounces prosciutto di Parma
- 6 fresh California figs, halved, or seedless grapes
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- Pita bread or rustic European bread, for serving
Instructions
- Salt the eggplant. Set the eggplant slices on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Leave for about 20 minutes, then pat dry.
- Roast the eggplant. Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the slices on a lightly oiled baking pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast for about 20 minutes, until medium brown.
- Arrange the platter. While the eggplant roasts, put the two hummus spreads on opposite sides of a large serving platter. Fill the cored bell pepper with tzatziki and set it in the center. Arrange the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, artichoke hearts, feta, mozzarella, prosciutto, and figs around the dips.
- Finish the eggplant. Sprinkle the roasted slices with 1 teaspoon of sumac and add them to the platter.
- Serve. Serve with warm pita or rustic bread. You can cover and refrigerate the assembled platter, then take it out a few minutes before guests arrive.
Video
Notes
- The preparation time assumes the dips are already made or purchased. If you make the hummus or tzatziki from scratch, allow the time given in those separate recipes.
- Shop this recipe: Find sumac, Kalamata olives, and olive oil in The Mediterranean Dish shop.
Nutrition
Try our all-natural Sumac!
This tangy, smokey, slightly sour spice is just what you need to give your recipe extra zing.
I’ve had “The Mediterranean Dish” for about two years and absolutely love it! But one thing has always mystified me… I want to recreate the mezze bowl shown on the front cover, but I can’t figure out the roasted-new-potato-looking things in the top right (just inside of the pickle slices). AI says those are chunks of feta… is that true?? Is the recipe in the book? Thanks so much; you’ve given my family a lot of Mediterranean deliciousness!
Hi, Julia! That recipe is in the book on page 220. It’s Suzy’s Chicken Shawarma Bowl. What you’re talking about may be the chicken or cubed feta.
I note you almost always include persian cucumbers and campari tomatoes in your recipes calling for cucumbers and tomatoes. I have NEVER seen either in any stores in Oregon. Please, include options for extremely specific ingredients for those who may not have options for unusual ingredients.
note: I live in alarge metropolitan city, so it isn’t size that offers fewer foreign foods.
Hi, Carol! If you can find Persian cucumbers, English cucumbers will work (the long, skinny cucumbers). And, in place of campari tomatoes, you can always use grape, cherry or roma tomatos, depending on the recipe. For a mezze platter, it really doesn’t matter which kind you use. Pretty much anything goes :).
I made a variation of this Mezze for New Year’s Eve last year and my family/guests tore it up!!! 😄
I’m planning to make one for Thanksgiving too this year. Some items are a little harder to find towards the end of year. Any clever ideas for a Thanksgiving Mezze?
Good afternoon, Suzi out of South Africa! Your recipes are out of a million so easy and tasty. Thank you for sharing. Best regards
My mouth is watering just reading this! Quick question, while I love eggplant, when serving like this, do you need a fork/spoon? Is the baby sliced into slices to be dipped or is an entire half of the baby a serving? Thank you for this wonderful suggestion!
Very nice platter chef 👍👌👏. Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
Thank you Suzy. A lot of your recipes look amazing. However, regarding the Lebanese cuisine, kindly try to double check them with Lebanese mothers and grannies, as most of them are neither prepared nor presented the Lebanese authentic way. I’m sure you are aware that Lebanese cuisine is lovable across the world for its light ingredients and tasty flavor. So please, let’s introduce our food mates to the true magic of my Lebanon’s enchanting recipes.
Best of luck.
Eslam
Looks great! Perfect for a hot day.
Your posts always make my mouth water just looking at those delicious photos. Then reading the preparation and ingredients, there i go again with the mouth watering. Thank you so much for enlarging my taste buds. I love getting you emails. Thank you so much.
Thank you for your kinds words, Emily!
Suzy, I am new to your site and LOVE it–your recipes, videos, notes & tips, photos– so well done!
For a small birthday / Mother’s Day celebration, we enjoyed putting our mezzo platter together with most of your suggestions…..also made your best layered hummus dip alongside. My guests took pictures of the table, which is not a routine occurrence in my kitchen! Everything was so delicious and filling–and fun!–but not heavy or rich. For dessert, your Greek yogurt parfait with kailua and nuts was perfection.
Thank you, thank you–your work is truly exceptional! My only suggestion: the recipe index feature seems off (unless it’s me?) For example, when I enter “hummus”, the layered hummus dip recipe doesn’t arrive in the options. Then again, it’s definitely worth the search 🙂
Hi, Cindy! Welcome! I’m so glad you found us! Thanks for the heads up on the index. We’ll have our tech team take a look.
We usually do the antipasti platter (my family is from the Adriatic side of the Mediterranean) but I think I’ll change it up this year and do the mezza platter instead!
Enjoy, Kristin! Thanks for sharing
For Thanksgiving, I took my host what I thought was an appetizer tray based on charcuterie. I included cheeses, some grilled vegetables. grape tomatoes, olives, marinated artichoke hearts, a few random peppers I found at the olive bar (Peppadews, sweetie drop peppers), dolmas, and I can’t remember what else.
Maybe I should have stuck with American, French, Latin, or Meditteranean “small plates”, but frankly, it was fun to mix things up and include what I like!
I love your ideas, and look forward trying them
Thanks so much for sharing, Joyce!