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About This Anitpasto Pasta Salad
If you are a fan of Italian antipasto, the traditional first course of Italian formal meals, and al dente short noodles, you will find this recipe to blend the two in a delightful way.
The savory bites customary to all appetite-inducing, colorful antipasto platters effortlessy come together with the perfectly cooked, bite-sized pasta.
Antipasto pasta salad works because:
- It is highly customizable - a large variety of ingredients and pasta shapes can be combined;
- It is easy to make - with the exception of cooking the short noodles, everything else is simply sliced, diced, chopped or portioned as needed;
- It is satisfying - a feast for the eyes, a celebration for the palate and very filling, this salad is a keeper.
Options for Ingredients
The main groups of ingredients for antipasto pasta salad are listed below with examples. Obey your taste buds and you can create numerous combinations customized to your own taste or simply based on what you have left over from an antipasto platter you prepared for your guests the night before...
This is self-explanatory, but for the sake of clarification - note that when you add Italian charcuterie board ingredients to lettuce or other fresh salad ingredients like cucumber, kale or spinach you make antipasto salad and can serve it with bread. When you add the same ingredients to cooked short pasta you make antipasto pasta salad and the noodles serve as the supporting carbohydrate.
Cheese. Mozzarella pearls (perline) or balls (bocconcini) are a must-use in our view, especially if you will be adding mini tomatoes. You can also cut a large mozzarella piece into bite-sized cubes. Cubed Asiago cheese or Fontina cheese, as well as sharp Provologne cut into strips are other options. From the hard cheeses - Parmesan and Peccorino add saltiness and umami, thickly shaved or smallish diced.
Meats. All varieties of hard Italian salami mix well with the short noodles. Also consider mortadella, cut into long strips (an excellent American substitute is high-quality garlic bologna, we are using Boar's Head here); preserved fish could be included - anchovies are a deliciious umami addition.
Roasted, grilled, marinated or pickled vegetables (& mushrooms). Roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, roasted eggplant, marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini (Peperoncino), olives (pitted, of course) brined or sun-dried, marinated mushrooms, roasted or preserved garlic cloves, drop peppers... All the plant based marvels of Italian antipasto platters are in consideration.
Brined ingredients & nuts. Capers, cauliflower florets brined in saline solution, pistacchio nut meats, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds and so many more options along these lines.
Fresh herbs & pesto. The quintessential sweet basil, Italian oregano, chives, Italian parsley, summer savory, all sorts of pestos, can be worked into the antipasto pasta salad with great success.
Pasta. In this example we are using busiati, we also like gemelli, both have a nice firmness to the noodle and their twisty, notched shapes absorb the flavors of the dressing really well. Other options include bow ties, farfalle, penne, fusilli, rotini, tortellini and more.
Salad Dressing. See the next section.
TIP: We like to use one hard salami and one softer textured meat such as mortadella or serrano ham. Perline (mozarella pearls) are perfectly sized, cut other cheeses in similarly small bites so that they do not overwhelm.
Dressing for Antipasto Salad
The dressing, or vinaigrette if you would rather call it that, for the antipasto pasta is best kept simple. While you can use your favorite Italian dressing, be it store-bought or a recipe you have been enjoying in your meal preparation for a long time, here is what we recommend.
Compose the dressing for antipasto salad to complement the ingredients you have used. As a rule of thumb, use high quality extra virgin olive oil and acidity expressed as red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar in a ratio of 2 : 1. To that add dried Italian oregano, kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
MORE OPTIONS: Ingredients you can work into the dressing are lemon zest, red pepper flakes, preserved minced garlic, pestos, brine liquid from capers or other prepared ingredients you are using, anchovy paste, etc. Lean into briny or acidic as your taste buds dictate, but use good quality extra virgin olive oil if possible.
Mix the dressing in a small jar for which you have a lid an shake it vigourously to achieve a good emulsification. The pasta will eagerly absorb it and it will add a coat of extra flavor to all the antipasto elements you include in the salad.
Make Antipasto Salad with Pasta
Detailed instructions with pictures on how to make our antipasto pasta salad follow in the Recipe Card below. As an overview:
- start by cooking the pasta of your choice to al dente texture (heed the instructions on the package), then drain and rinse it
- prepare all the antipasto ingredients as needed - mince, dice, chop - whatever is needed to showcase the elements of your salad
- mix the dressing and marinate the cooked pasta short noodles in it, perhaps adding fresh cherry tomatoes and any fresh mozzarella cheese bits
- add the rest of your preferred antipasto ingredients and mix everything together
Serve as an Appetizer or an Entree?
By all means, you can enjoy antipasto pasta salad in small portions as an appetizer or in bowls as a summer dinner with a glass of chilled white wine or crisp Italian lager.
This dish is exciting and delicious in equal measures and the manner you serve it in is directly related to what your mood and appetite are like.
SERVING TIP: Serve antipasto pasta salad at room temperature to maximize the flavor. If you have prepared it in advance and stored it refrigerated, allow it to reach room temperature by leaving it out on the counter before you enjoy it.
FUN TIP: We love taking antipasto pasta salad to picnics or hikes. Once made, it is easy to place inside a thermos type food jar or other container and transport into a cooler bag, picnic basket or backpack.
How Long Is Antipasto Pasta Salad Good For?
If stored in an airtight container and refiregerated, antipasto salad is good for up to four days. It really depends on the ingredients that were mixed in. Use your judgement.
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Recipe
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 pasta pot with strainer OR
- 1 soup pot and a colander
- chef's knife and cutting board
Ingredients
Pasta
- 16 oz short noodle pasta
Antipasto
- 1 cup mozzarella pearl or balls
- 1 cup Italian hard salami (cut in bite sized pieces)
- ½ cup mortadella or garlic bologna, cut into strips
- 1 cup mini tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup preserved, marinated artichoke hearts, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoon capers
- 2 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped - basil, Italian oregano, chives, summer savory
Dressing
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar, or balsamic
- 2 teaspoon dried Italian oregano
- ½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook the short noodle pasta according to the package instructions to al dente texture. Drain the cooked pasta in the colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and remove excess starch from the surface.
- While the pasta is cooking mix the ingredients for the dressing and set it aside. Cut, dice, slice or otherwise prepare those antipasto ingredients that require it.
- Toss the cooled down pasta, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls with the dressing - they need to be generously coated in it and absorb most of the flavors.
- Add all the other antipasto ingredients you have to the bowl.
- Mix to combine. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste and serve.
Laurie
This recipe reached me at the perfect time. What a delicious way to host a company of six women casually enjoying wine on a sunny afternoon! Took no time to assemble. I used pitted kalamata olives, green olives, rosemary asiago, roasted garlic cloves, pepperoni, mini San Marzano style tomatoes and chives. So, so good! My pasta was rotini. Thanks for sending this recipe idea out!