Melon, prosciutto, basil. Sweet, savory, fresh. Easy, elegant, beautiful. So many ways to describe these delicious little three ingredient bites! Perfect for a party. Or just a Saturday afternoon at home.
Melon Prosciutto Basil Bites
These melon prosciutto basil bites are a perfect way to enjoy sweet summer cantaloupe. And who can argue with a three ingredient appetizer? Especially when it looks as good as it tastes. And even though there are only three ingredients, you can still improvise to suit your own tastes. Use your favorite melon, it doesn’t have to be cantaloupe. If you don’t like, or can’t find, prosciutto, use Spanish chorizo or another cured meat. But you can’t skip the fresh basil! Okay, you can, but don’t.
Just Three Delicious Ingredients
Yes, there are four ingredients in the picture above, but this is just to show some options! Since there are so few ingredients, make sure to get really good stuff. Most deli counters will have prosciutto either prepackaged, or sliced to order. If not, look around for Spanish chorizo, or even black forest ham in a pinch. I like the sweetness of cantaloupe with prosciutto (it’s the classic Italian combination for a reason!) but use whatever is in season and sweet. For the basil, use the small to medium sized leaves so you don’t overwhelm the other ingredients with herbiness, if that’s a word.
How to Prep Your Melon
Here’s a handy little guide if you’d like to see how to cube the cantaloupe. You can buy the melon already prepared from most grocery stores, but it’s less expensive to do it yourself (and so easy), and you have control over the size of the cubes.
Appetizer Assembly Line
Break out the skewers and toothpicks! Once you’ve cubed your melon, you are 80% done. The only other prep is to cut the prosciutto so it wraps around the melon cubes one or one and a half times. If you’re choosing to use another kind of sliced meat, make sure it’s big enough to go around the melon, that way you can skewer everything together easily. I sometimes make these with Spanish chorizo (also delicious!), and make sure to buy bigger slices.
Now, start your assembly line! Wrap each melon cube in the sliced prosciutto, place a cute little basil leaf on top, and skewer with a toothpick or any kind of fancy pick. I found these clear forks* at my grocery store by the paper plates, but you can also get them from Amazon.
A Sweet, Savory Bite
That’s it! Your three ingredient appetizer is done. Line your melon prosciutto basil bites up on a pretty platter*, and pass it around. All you need to do now is pour yourself a glass of pinot grigio.
This post contains affiliate links for products I like and use myself, or are similar to what I use if the exact item isn’t available. I’ll earn a small commission on these links at no cost to you, and the links will be marked with an asterisk (*).
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Melon Prosciutto Basil Bites
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Appetizers
Description
Melon, prosciutto, basil. Sweet, savory, fresh. Easy, elegant, beautiful. So many ways to describe these delicious little three ingredient bites! Perfect for a party. Or just a Saturday afternoon at home.
Ingredients
- Cantaloupe, or other melon, cubed (approximately 1 inch x 1 inch)
- 3–4 slices of prosciutto, or other cured meat
- 12 small to medium fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the melon. Peel, deseed, slice, then cube.
- Cut the prosciutto into pieces big enough to go around the melon cubes.
- Making one at a time, wrap a piece of prosciutto around each melon cube, top with a basil leaf, and skewer with a toothpick to hold together.
- Place on a tray and impress your guests.
Notes
- you can make these melon prosciutto basil bites a few hours ahead of time, but make sure you refrigerate them.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Keywords: easy appetizer, melon and prosciutto, cantaloupe, basil, appetizers
