This Italian antipasto salad stars lush greens, marinated greens, a zesty dressing, and two kinds of cheese. It is a scrumptious no-cook summer season meal!
This antipasto salad recipe is precisely what I crave on a scorching summer season day. Crammed with a scrumptious mixture of greens, cheeses, and tangy, briny marinated veggies, it’s refreshing, flavorful, and oh-so easy to toss collectively.
You don’t must do any precise cooking right here. Simply whisk up the zesty do-it-yourself dressing, rinse off some chickpeas, and perform a little chopping. This vibrant antipasto salad might be prepared in half-hour or much less!
What’s an antipasto salad?
In Italian, the phrase antipasto actually interprets to “earlier than a meal.” Antipasti are small bites like olives, cheeses, and cured meats that you just would possibly get pleasure from with a glass of wine earlier than dinner.
You’re most likely accustomed to an antipasto platter, which is loaded up with appetizers like these. Nicely…I took all the things I really like on an antipasto platter and piled it onto greens to make this antipasto salad! It turns these small bites right into a recent, scrumptious meal on their very own (and it makes an important summer season facet dish too). Hold studying to discover ways to make it!
Antipasto Salad Substances
Right here’s what you’ll must make this antipasto salad recipe:
- Arugula and radicchio – These bitter greens make up the bottom of the salad. Different greens would work effectively too. I really like endive as a substitute of radicchio, and for those who’d like some extra crunch, be happy to switch the arugula with chopped romaine lettuce.
- Cherry tomatoes – For sweetness and juicy texture.
- Chickpeas – Crammed with protein and fiber, they make this salad hearty sufficient to move as a light-weight meal. They add satisfying texture too.
- Mini mozzarella balls and provolone cheese – Two cheeses are higher than one! The recent mozzarella cheese provides delicate, creamy texture, whereas the provolone provides a nuttier taste and firmer chunk.
- Artichoke hearts – I’ve made this salad with each plain canned artichoke hearts and fancier jarred marinated artichoke hearts. Each work effectively, including shiny, briny taste to the salad.
- Roasted purple peppers – They add sweetness and easy, silky texture. Use jarred ones, or make do-it-yourself roasted purple peppers.
- Pepperoncini – I really like the super-tangy pop they add to this salad.
- Olives – For salty, briny taste. I really like meaty Castelvetrano olives right here, however different inexperienced olives or kalamata olives are good too.
- Pink onion – For sharp, savory taste.
- Contemporary basil or parsley – They add a burst of recent, fragrant taste that takes this salad excessive.
You’ll toss all of it in a easy purple wine French dressing made with purple wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper. It’s daring, tangy, and barely candy.
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
Tips on how to Make Antipasto Salad
This antipasto salad recipe is tremendous easy to make:
- Begin by making the dressing. Whisk collectively the substances in a medium bowl or place them in a lidded jar and shake to mix.
- Then, prep the salad substances. Halve the mozzarella balls and minimize the provolone into bite-sized items. Halve the tomatoes and slice the purple onion. If any of your jarred substances want slicing or chopping, minimize them up too.
- To assemble the salad, place many of the arugula on a big platter or in a big bowl. Prepare the opposite substances in segments on high, tucking within the remaining arugula as you’re employed. Drizzle with the dressing, high with the herbs, and serve!
I really like the segmented, composed setup of this salad—it jogs my memory of an Italian spin on a French Niçoise salad, one other of my summer season favorites. However for those who want a tossed salad, be happy to combine all the things collectively!
I really like this salad as a light-weight lunch or dinner by itself, with some good crusty bread or focaccia on the facet. It’s additionally a beautiful summer season facet dish. Carry it to a BBQ or serve it with something off the grill!
Storage and Make-Forward Ideas
To retailer: Retailer leftover salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. The arugula will wilt barely with time, however it is going to nonetheless style scrumptious!
To make forward: You may assemble this salad a number of hours upfront with out the arugula wilting. Cowl and retailer within the fridge till you’re able to serve. Drizzle on the dressing and add the herbs proper earlier than you eat!
Extra Summer season Salad Recipes to Strive
When you love this straightforward antipasto salad recipe, strive one in every of these scrumptious summer season salads subsequent:
Antipasto Salad
Serves 4
This Italian antipasto salad recipe is a scrumptious no-cook summer season meal or facet dish! It is tossed in a zesty French dressing and crammed with artichoke hearts, olives, roasted purple peppers, tomatoes, and extra.
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 cups torn radicchio or endive
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup mini mozzarella balls, halved
- ½ cup artichoke hearts, halved or chopped
- ½ cup cubed provolone cheese
- ½ cup pepperoncini, stemmed and sliced (4 to five)
- ½ cup pitted olives
- ½ cup sliced roasted purple peppers
- ¼ cup thinly sliced purple onion
- Contemporary parsley or basil
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
- Pink pepper flakes, optionally available
Stop your display from going darkish
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Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, purple wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper. Alternatively, mix all of the substances in a lidded jar and shake to mix.
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Assemble the salad. Prepare many of the arugula on a serving platter or in a big salad bowl. Prepare the radicchio, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, mozzarella, artichokes, provolone, pepperoncini, olives, roasted purple peppers, and onion in segments on high, tucking the remaining arugula in among the many different substances. Drizzle with a few of the dressing and sprinkle with parsley, pinches of salt and pepper, and purple pepper flakes, if utilizing.
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Season to style and serve with the remaining dressing on the facet.
