This Italian antipasto salad stars lush greens, marinated greens, a zesty dressing, and two kinds of cheese. It is a scrumptious no-cook summer time meal!
This antipasto salad recipe is strictly what I crave on a scorching summer time day. Stuffed 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 need to do any precise cooking right here. Simply whisk up the zesty do-it-yourself dressing, rinse off some chickpeas, and do some chopping. This vibrant antipasto salad will probably 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 simply may take pleasure in with a glass of wine earlier than dinner.
You’re most likely conversant in an antipasto platter, which is loaded up with appetizers like these. Nicely…I took every little thing I 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 excellent summer time facet dish too). Preserve studying to learn to make it!
Antipasto Salad Elements
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 nicely too. I like endive as an alternative of radicchio, and for those who’d like some extra crunch, be happy to exchange the arugula with chopped romaine lettuce.
- Cherry tomatoes – For sweetness and juicy texture.
- Chickpeas – Stuffed with protein and fiber, they make this salad hearty sufficient to cross as a lightweight meal. They add satisfying texture too.
- Mini mozzarella balls and provolone cheese – Two cheeses are higher than one! The recent mozzarella cheese provides tender, creamy texture, whereas the provolone provides a nuttier taste and firmer chew.
- Artichoke hearts – I’ve made this salad with each plain canned artichoke hearts and fancier jarred marinated artichoke hearts. Each work nicely, including shiny, briny taste to the salad.
- Roasted purple peppers – They add sweetness and clean, silky texture. Use jarred ones, or make do-it-yourself roasted purple peppers.
- Pepperoncini – I like the super-tangy pop they add to this salad.
- Olives – For salty, briny taste. I like meaty Castelvetrano olives right here, however different inexperienced olives or kalamata olives are good too.
- Crimson onion – For sharp, savory taste.
- Recent 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 entire recipe with measurements under.
How one can Make Antipasto Salad
This antipasto salad recipe is tremendous easy to make:
- Begin by making the dressing. Whisk collectively the elements in a medium bowl or place them in a lidded jar and shake to mix.
- Then, prep the salad elements. Halve the mozzarella balls and lower the provolone into bite-sized items. Halve the tomatoes and slice the purple onion. If any of your jarred elements want slicing or chopping, lower them up too.
- To assemble the salad, place a lot of the arugula on a big platter or in a big bowl. Prepare the opposite elements in segments on high, tucking within the remaining arugula as you’re employed. Drizzle with the dressing, high with the herbs, and serve!
I 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 time favorites. However for those who desire a tossed salad, be happy to combine every little thing collectively!
I like this salad as a lightweight lunch or dinner by itself, with some good crusty bread or focaccia on the facet. It’s additionally a beautiful summer time facet dish. Deliver 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 would nonetheless style scrumptious!
To make forward: You possibly can 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 simple antipasto salad recipe, strive one in every of these scrumptious summer time salads subsequent:
Antipasto Salad
Serves 4
This Italian antipasto salad recipe is a scrumptious no-cook summer time meal or facet dish! It is tossed in a zesty French dressing and full of 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
- Recent parsley or basil
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
- Crimson pepper flakes, non-obligatory
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 several other grinds of pepper. Alternatively, mix all of the elements in a lidded jar and shake to mix.
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Assemble the salad. Prepare a lot 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 elements. Drizzle with among 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.
