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Antipasto Salad

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 salad

So 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 color
Artichoke hearts, marinaded if you can find them
Roasted red peppers
Pepperoncini
Cheese: mozzarella or provalone, marinaded fresh mozzarella if you can find it
Pasta
Cured meats like salami, prosciutto,
Veggies: tomatoes, red onion, romaine or chopped spinach, mushrooms
Herbs: Fresh basil, oregano, Italian seasonings
Pasta Traditional or gluten-free (legume pasta can work here)

How to cook pasta to al dente

To get this antipasto salad just right, you’ve got to cook your pasta to al dente. What’s al dente? In Italian it means “to the bite” and means pasta that is still firm on the inside when cooked. The ideal al dente texture is a tender exterior balanced by a firm bite with a fleck of white at its core. Here are our tips on how to cook pasta to al dente:

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
While cooking, check pasta continually for doneness.
As soon as the pasta has a tender exterior but a fleck of white at its core, drain it! Even a few seconds can be the difference between al dente and limp noodles.

Dressing for antipasto salad

The dressing for this antipasto salad is a play on our Dijon Mustard Dressing! It’s got a touch more sweet to balance the tangy. We’ve also added Italian seasoning to the mix to amp those Italian flavors. You may even want to start using it for green salads! It’s quick and easy to whip up. Here’s all you’ll need for the dressing:

White wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
Maple syrup or sugar
Olive oil

A note on customizing the salt

For the kosher salt in this recipe, we’ve specified a range that you can customize (1/2 to 1 teaspoon). Why? Some of the ingredients here have varying salt quantities: like marinaded vs plain mozzarella or artichoke hearts, different types of olives, and so forth. Also if you decide to add meat to this recipe, you’d need less salt. Just add enough salt until the flavor pops!

More great salads to pair

There’s nothing better than a few salads to make a salad dinner in the summer, or to accessorize a happy hour meat and cheese platter! This is how we served this antipasto salad, and it was perfect for an evening with white wine spritzers and family. Here are some of the salads we’d recommend pairing:

Simple Carrot Salad Weirdly delicious! This carrot salad is fresh and healthy, with a tangy vinaigrette dressing.
Grilled Corn Salad Insane flavor! Smoky, savory and creamy: this salad is out of this world.
Creamy Cucumber Salad An ultra refreshing side dish! The silky sauce with dill and shallots brings an irresistible flavor.
Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Salad Otherwise known as Caprese salad! A seasonal treat.
Easy Bean Salad Totally classic, full of plant based protein.

This antipasto salad is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free or legume pasta. For vegan, try a similar salad: Italian Vegan Pasta Salad.

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Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This colorful antipasto salad is hearty and full of zingy flavor, with lots of crunchy veggies, olives, artichokes, cheese, and Italian herbs.

Ingredients

1/2 pound spiral pasta
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 medium red onion
2 cups chopped romaine
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 jarred roasted red pepper
1 cup pitted olives (we used green and black)
1 cup artichoke quarters (from a can: marinaded if you can find them)
1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini
8 ounces mozzarella (fresh or cubed, or marinaded if you can find it)*
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar or maple syrup
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

Start a pot of well salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside).
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion. Chop the romaine and fresh basil. Thinly slice the roasted red pepper.
In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta with the chopped veggies, olives, artichoke quarters (drained) and pepperoncini (drained). Add the mozzarella, cutting it into cubes or pieces.
In a small bowl, whisk the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and sugar or maple syrup. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.
Add the dressing to the bowl with the pasta and veggies, then add the salt and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt as desired.

Notes

*You can also add cured meats like salami or prosciutto.

Category: Salad
Method: Boiled
Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Antipasto salad

More Italian inspired recipes

Love Italian inspired recipes? Us too. Here are some more favorites:

Perfect Italian Salad The Italian American side salad, complete with garlic croutons and Italian dressing.
Italian Eggplant Sandwich Grilled eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, tapenade. Need we say more?
Homemade Italian Dressing The best homemade dressing…hands down.
Italian Vegan Pasta Salad Another Italian salad…but 100% plant-based.

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

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White Wine Spritzer

Here’s the easiest, most refreshing cocktail: a white wine spritzer! Add bubbles to your favorite wine to make the ideal summer drink.

Here’s Alex and my top trick for summertime entertaining: the white wine spritzer! Yes, there’s nothing easier or more delightful than a bubbly version of your favorite crisp white wine. We discovered wine spritzers when we took a trip to visit friends in Austria, and they are truly one of the most refreshing drinks on the planet. Because they’re so easy, you don’t need to plan or prep anything. Grab your favorite bottle of wine, then head to the pool or drink on the patio while you make a grilled dinner.

What is a wine spritzer?

A wine spritzer is a drink made with wine and soda water that originated in Austria. Diluting wine with water started back in the 19th century, as a way to make bubbly wine. The name comes from the German word “spritzen,” meaning “to spray.” You can make a wine spritzer with white wine, red wine or rosé wine: it’s typically diluted to about 25% or 50%.

Spritzer vs spritz: what’s the difference? A wine spritzer is similar to a spritz: they both come from the same German word! A spritz is a drink made with sparkling wine, bitters, and soda water: like the famous classic Aperol spritz. Add the “er” and it becomes this refreshing bubbly wine concoction.

The white wine to use

You can use any white wine you love for a white wine spritzer: just make sure it’s well chilled before you start! Here we recommend a dry, crisp white wine, but if you enjoy wines on the sweeter side you could use that too. The best white wine varietals for a spritzer are:

Dry Reisling
Pino grigio
Albariño
Grüner Veltliner

A note on Grüner Veltliner: it’s an organic wine from Austria and it’s what we used for this recipe. The flavor is simple perfection (in fact, it’s one of our favorite white wines to drink in general). We found it at Whole Foods, so check at your local grocery or liquor store.

How to make a white wine spritzer (basic steps)

The white wine spritzer is summer’s easiest drink. Once you do this once, memorize the formula and make it on repeat! You don’t even need a recipe.

Grab a bottle of chilled white wine.
Pour about 1/4 cup into a glass.
Pour in about 3/4 cup soda water (eyeball it).
Stir gently and enjoy!

The spritzer ratio

Another way to think about a wine spritzer is the spritzer ratio. Here are a few notes about how to do it:

For white wine and rose wine, the spritzer ratio is 3 parts soda water to 1 part wine.
For red wine, up the amount of soda water to get it to taste bubbly. Use the ratio of equal parts red wine and soda water.
For a “summer spritzer”: A “Summer Spritzer” or Sommer Spritzer is a wine spritzer that’s diluted by 75% with soda water. You can do this with any type of wine, and it makes for a nice brunch drink or low-alcohol cocktail.

Step it up: add fruit or herbs!

You can also step up your spritzer by loading the glass with beautiful fruits or herbs! It makes for a stunning presentation for entertaining, like dinner parties or bridal showers. Here are some ideas:

Berries: Slice strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries
Fruit: Sliced peaches or green apple
Citrus: Thinly sliced lemon, lime, or orange
Herbs: Fresh basil, mint, or thyme sprigs

Try all 4 wine spritzers

Because we love wine spritzers so much: we’ve made them all! After you’re done with this white wine spritzer, make sure to try these:

Rosé Spritzer Pale pink, tart, and bubbly: perfect for summer!
Red Wine Spritzer Dark, full-bodied, and fruity: like a cheater sangria.
Lillet Spritzer Similar to this white wine spritzer, but using Lillet Blanc! (Follow the variation in the recipe notes.)

When to serve a white wine spritzer

The white wine spritzer is bubbly and refreshing. It works well for summer, but you can drink it anytime (and we do!). It’s great for serving as a:

Summer drink
Brunch drink
Before dinner drink (aperitif)
Cocktail hour drink