Coming your way just in time for the big awards show are five red carpet-worthy appetizers for a crowd. You don’t want to miss this.

The nominees in this year’s “appetizers for a crowd” category all deliver flavor-packed, captivating, and diverse performances. From the tried-and-true “little black dress” of an appetizer – the cheese plate – to uber Instagrammable hummus cucumber toasts, these five finger foods are perfect for a big bash or cozy night in.

And the nominees are…

1. Herb-Stuffed Mushrooms

The first thing you taste when taking a bite into these stuffed mushrooms is the nutty flavor of salty Parmesan. Then, the hint of fresh herbs hits your palate. And finally, soft mushrooms. Who knew something so simple could pack in so much flavor?

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
• 3 Tablespoons Chopped Italian Parsley
• 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• 28-30 White Mushrooms, stems removed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. Rinse (but don’t submerge!) mushrooms with water.
4. Spoon filling into mushroom cavities and place face up on baking sheet.
5. Drizzle over remaining oil and bake until mushrooms are tender and top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

2. Hummus Cucumber Toast

Lightly toasted sourdough, hummus, shaved cucumber, toasted walnuts, raisins. Nothing more, nothing less. Now sit back and watch ’em disappear.

3. Avocado Salsa

All the creamy, omega-3 goodness of guacamole combined with refreshingly juicy flavors of salsa make for a dip that’s pretty hard to beat. Double dipping is strongly encouraged.

Ingredients

• 7 Medium Tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 Medium Avocados, cored and diced
• 3/4 Cup Chopped Red Onion
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
• 3/4 Cup Cilantro Leaves, finely chopped
• Salt (to taste)

Instructions

1. Combine tomatoes, avocado, and red onion in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, and salt.
3. Pour dressing over mixture and toss gently to coat.

TIP #1: Looking for a kick of heat? Toss in 1-2 seeded and chopped jalapeños (to taste).

TIP #2: Have some extra corn on hand? Toss it in!

4. Endive Tuna Boats

Once we conquered the tuna and veggie filling, only one question remained: what to put it on? Crackers? Too small. Toast? Too high of a risk that tuna would fall off en route from plate to mouth. But then it dawned on us. Endives. They’re sturdy enough to support the filling and curve just slightly upward to hold everything in. An “aha” moment for sure.

Ingredients

• 2 5-oz Cans Tuna, drained
• 1 Diced Green Apple
• 1 Shredded Carrot
• 2 Celery Stalks, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Chopped Cucumber
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill
• 1 Clove Minced Garlic
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• 10-12 Belgian Endive Leaves

Instructions

1. Combine tuna, apple, carrot, celery, and cucumber in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together dill, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Pour dressing over mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spoon into endive leaves.

5. The Ultimate Cheese Platter

If appetizers were looking to elect a spokesperson, we’d nominate cheese. Just look at this spread. You can’t go wrong with marinated olives, olive tapenade or fig spread, blanched almonds, crackers, breadsticks, grapes, dried apricots, dried meats, and a mix of hard and soft cheeses.

For more crowd-pleasing appetizer ideas, check out these sweet potato toasts and cauliflower buffalo “wings.”