This colorful antipasto salad is hearty and full of zingy flavor, with lots of crunchy veggies, olives, artichokes, cheese, and Italian herbs.Here’s a salad that’s full of big Italian flavors: antipasto salad! This combo between a pasta salad and Italian antipasti is loaded with zingy flavor: briny olives, tangy artichokes, and roasted peppers, contrasted with crunchy veggies and chewy pasta. Load it with fresh basil and there’s so much going on, you might not be able to stop eating it! Alex and I served it with a trio of salads for a happy hour dinner, and it was ideal. It’s filling enough to stand in for a main dish, too. The best part: it’s highly customizable to the ingredients you love. Let’s get cooking!What is antipasto (or antipasti)?Antipasto is the first course of an Italian meal: like a starter or appetizer. Antipasto is the singular, and antipasti is the plural for more than one dish. For example: “We had a few delightful antipasti to start the meal.” Some typical antipasti you might enjoy in Italy: cured meats like prosciutto, olives, fancy cheeses, marinated vegetables, pepperoncini, and mushrooms.Ingredients in antipasto saladSo then…what’s antipasto salad? Turns out it’s an American invention that simply mashes up lots of traditional antipasti ingredients together in one place. There’s not a strict definition of this salad: some people mix a bunch of antipasti together, others serve them as part of a green salad or pasta salad. For our spin, we decided to use pasta: so you could call it a sort of antipasto pasta salad!This salad is highly customizable to whatever ingredients you love or have on hand. Ingredients commonly used in antipasto salad are:Olives of any colorArtichoke hearts, marinaded if you can find themRoasted red peppersPepperonciniCheese: mozzarella or provalone, marinaded fresh mozzarella if you can find itPastaCured meats like salami, prosciutto, Veggies: tomatoes, red onion, romaine or chopped spinach, mushroomsHerbs: Fresh basil, oregano, Italian seasoningsPa
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