Antipasto Pasta Salad

Antipasto is a favorite around here. It plays well with the charcuterie trend that was strong in 2019. You can read more about how to have a charcuterie here. Antipasto is traditional first course of an Italian meal. First course? Yikes! It is so easy to get carried away with all the good meats, cheeses, artichokes, olives, etc. that I am pretty much stuffed by the time we get to course number two. At this point I am ready to forget the rest of the meal and skip straight to dessert! One of the reasons I love antipasto because it is a grazing affair, and I tend to graze when it comes to eating. The flavors of antipasto work well in a pasta salad which is what I want to share today: my Antipasto Pasta Salad. It marries the bright flavors of Italy with the humble, but popular picnic salad.

Pasta salads are a regular part of many picnics with many different varieties. Generally, I steer clear of mayonnaise-based pasta salads and make Italian dressing-based versions. This is because we adore Mediterranean flavors, so it made sense to bring the two together. I also wanted to keep it more authentic Italian. For example, many Italian pasta salads contain cheddar, peas, etc. and are not very “Italian”. Bringing the reals flavors of Italy into a pasta salad was the goal. So, today’s recipe has an easy and zippy homemade Italian dressing accompanying ragu pasta with chunks of dry salami, cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese, marinated artichokes hearts, gourmet olives, and more. This antipasto pasta salad smells deliciously like an Italian restaurant, and you will love all the flavors it has!

As a note on pasta, you don’t have to use rigatoni pasta because it has the side ridges that allow the dressing to “hang on” to the pasta. It is a preference thing, so feel free to use what pasta works for you.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

1 one lb pkg of rigatoni pasta

1/2 cup of red peppers (fresh, roasted, marinated, whatever works)

1 cup of gourmet olives (I use a blend)

8 oz. of fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes (about 1 heaping cup)

7 oz. of dry salami cut into small cubes (about 1 heaping cup)

7 oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup of chopped up marinated artichokes hearts

1 recipe of Italian Dressing (below)

Start by cooking pasta in large pot, seasoning water with 2 tbsps. of sea salt. Cook the pasta to al dente and then drain and cool. Next, add the next 5 ingredients and then pour all the Italian dressing on. Stir to combine. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

recipe Italian dressing

Save this zesty and flavorful dressing for other dishes as well!

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

3/4 cup of olive oil

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. of sugar

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. of dried parsley

2 tsp. of lemon juice

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend well. Store in fridge until ready to use.

This salad makes a great meal in a bowl as well as a side dish- enjoy!