Best Antipasto Salad

Make this Antipasto Salad Recipe with delicious Italian meats, soft cheeses, tomatoes, olives, salad greens, and a delicious homemade dressing for the best hearty salad. 

This is not your traditional salad, but the best of Italian favorites all mixed into one large salad cut into bite-sized pieces perfect to go with any main course recipe. 

You can serve this Italian antipasto salad at dinner parties or as a traditional first course of an Italian meal. 

If you love antipasto platters, this delicious recipe will be a great salad recipe to serve as an easy side dish that is filled with flavor and simple ingredients. 

What Is Antipasto Salad?

Antipasto salad is normally made up of cured meats, veggies, pickles, and kalamata olives. It is similar to charcuterie boards but in a big bowl!

Recipe Ingredients:

For the dressing:

• Seasoning: you will need to use minced garlic, kosher salt, and ground black pepper
• Oil: use extra virgin olive oil, a quality one for the best results
• Vinegar: in the recipe you can balsamic vinegar to add sweetness to this simple homemade Italian dressing
• Mustard: use your favorite brand of Dijon mustard for a savory flavor profile

For the salad:

• Leaf base: you will need to use romaine lettuce and fresh baby arugula
• Meats: use thinly sliced prosciutto and Genoa salami
• Tomatoes: use fresh cherry tomatoes
• Olives: you will need to have pitted black olives and pitted green olives drained from the jar
• Artichoke: get a can of artichoke hearts and drain it before adding it to the Italian salad
• Pepper: for this recipe, you will need to have a jar of roasted red peppers but be sure to drain before adding it
• Cheese: you can keep it simple by using crumbled feta cheese
• Herbs: use freshly chopped parsley and chives for garnish
• Seasoning: add a little bit of kosher salt and black pepper

How To Make Antipasto Salad:

Make the dressing: 

1. Start by mincing your garlic: Peel and mince your garlic. Add the minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Give these ingredients a good mix until combined. Set the dressing aside.

Prepare the salad: 

1. Wash your greens: always ensure your lettuce and arugula are washed and dried before use. 

Prepare the ingredients:

1. Chop and slice: Thinly slice the prosciutto along its length or tear it into thin pieces. 
2. Chop your salami into smaller pieces to make it easily spread throughout the salad. 
3. Halve the cherry tomatoes using a sharp knife. 
4. Cut the black and green olives in half (or leave them whole if preferred).
5. Drain the artichoke hearts and chop them into smaller pieces. Drain the red peppers and slice them into smaller pieces.  

Assemble the salad: 

1. Use a large bowl: add Romaine lettuce and arugula to a large bowl. Use kitchen tongs to toss these evenly until they are well dispersed.  
2. Pour half of the dressing over the lettuce and arugula. Toss the lettuce and arugula with kitchen tongs until well coated.
3. Layer the salad with prosciutto, salami, cherry tomatoes, black and green olives, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. 

Add the garnishes: 

1. Chop parsley and chives and add on top of the salad. 

Serve:

1. Gently toss the salad before serving to combine all ingredients, and enjoy! If desired, adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Variations & Optional Additions:

• Mini mozzarella balls
• Provolone cheese
• Pepperoncini peppers
• Pickled vegetables
• Diced red onions

Expert Tips:

• For the best flavor, use Prosciutto di Parma, known for its rich and delicate taste.
• Consider using stuffed olives (with almonds, red pepper, or cheese) for added flavor and texture.
• Serve with fresh, simple Italian bread for a complete meal.
• The best way to dry your washed salad is by using a salad spinner. If you do not have one, place the washed salad and arugula on paper towels and allow it to dry. 

Frequently Asked Questions for Making this Simple Antipasto Salad: 

Make Ahead & Storage Instructions:

Fridge: This salad recipe will work wonderfully if you make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour to let the homemade Italian dressing marinate the other salad ingredients. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days for the best results. 

More salad recipes: 

• Easy Southwest Salad
• Balsamic Steak Salad Recipe
• Loaded Broccoli Salad
• Our Family’s Favorite Taco Salad Recipe

Antipasto Salad Recipe

Make this Antipasto Salad Recipe with delicious Italian meats, soft cheeses, tomatoes, olives, salad greens, and homemade dressing.

ServingServing: 6 Servings

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the dressing:

• ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, quality one
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ Black pepper, to taste

For the salad:

• ▢ 2 heads of romaine lettuce
• ▢ 3 cups baby arugula
• ▢ 4 oz. thinly prosciutto
• ▢ 4 oz. thinly sliced salami, like Genoa
• ▢ 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• ▢ ¼ cup pitted black olives
• ▢ ¼ cup pitted green olives
• ▢ 6 oz. artichoke hearts, drained
• ▢ 10 oz. roasted red peppers, drained
• ▢ ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ▢ Chopped parsley, for garnish
• ▢ Chopped chives, for garnish
• ▢ Salt and pepper, to taste

Equipment

• Mixing Bowl
• Cutting Board
• Mixing Bowl (Large)

Instructions

Prepare the dressing:

1. Start by mincing your garlic: Peel and mince your garlic. Add the minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Give these ingredients a good mix until combined. Set the dressing aside.

Prepare the salad:

1. Wash your greens: always ensure your lettuce and arugula are washed and dried before use.

Prepare the ingredients:

1. Chop and slice: Thinly slice the prosciutto along its length or tear it into thin pieces.
2. Chop your salami into smaller pieces to make it easily spread throughout the salad.
3. Halve the cherry tomatoes using a sharp knife.
4. Cut the black and green olives in half (or leave them whole if preferred).
5. Drain the artichoke hearts and chop them into smaller pieces. Drain the red peppers and slice them into smaller pieces.

Assemble the salad:

1. Use a large bowl: add Romaine lettuce and arugula to a large bowl. Use kitchen tongs to toss these evenly until they are well dispersed.
2. Pour half of the dressing over the lettuce and arugula. Toss the lettuce and arugula with kitchen tongs until well coated.
3. Layer the salad with prosciutto, salami, cherry tomatoes, black and green olives, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad.

Add the garnishes:

1. Chop parsley and chives and add on top of the salad.

Serve:

1. Gently toss the salad before serving to combine all ingredients, and enjoy! If desired, adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

• For the best flavor, use Prosciutto di Parma, known for its rich and delicate taste.
• Consider using stuffed olives (with almonds, red pepper, or cheese) for added flavor and texture.
• You can also add other ingredients, such as mini mozzarella balls, Provolone cheese, and pepperoncini, to your antipasto salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 308 kcal · Carbohydrates: 8 g · Protein: 9 g · Fat: 27 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 15 g · Trans Fat: 0.02 g · Cholesterol: 35 mg · Sodium: 1788 mg · Potassium: 365 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 3 g · Vitamin A: 1626 IU · Vitamin C: 35 mg · Calcium: 97 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Cuisine: American

Cost: $15

Author: Steph Loaiza

Course: Salad

Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.