This Italian antipasto salad combines antipasto with salad greens in one bowl! Creamy mozzarella balls, zesty pepperoni and salami with tangy olives and artichokes tossed with your favorite dressing.
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Italian Antipasto Salad
This Italian antipasto salad recipe is always a crowd-pleaser that combines two favorites an Italian antipasto platter and Italian salad tossed with tangy Italian dressing, Olive Garden dressing or a vinaigrette.
Salty brined artichokes and olives, juicy tomatoes, fresh soft mozzarella and sliced salami are balanced on a cool crisp bed of lettuce. It’s your favorite charcuterie or antipasto skewer in one bowl. I love it by itself for a summer lunch or as a side to eggplant parmesan!
What is Antipasto Salad?
In Italian, antipasto means “before the meal” so it’s always a platter served as a starter before the main event. Nowadays an antipasto is typically reserved for special occasions, like weddings, or when you’re hosting a gathering or having special company over.
Traditionally it’s served with a nice loaf of bread, but what we’ve done is taken all of our favorite antipasto components and turned an antipasto salad with the most delicious toppings. And it’s amazing!
Antipasto Salad Ingredients
This customizable salad works for everyone! Add in your favorites, omit what you’re not a fan of, and get creative.
- Croutons
- Chopped onion
- Balsamic dressing
- Pepperoncini
- Prosciutto or Genoa salami
- Grilled vegetables
- Roasted red pepper
- Marinated zucchini or eggplant
- Bell pepper or roasted red peppers
- Kalamata olive or green olives
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Radicchio
- Provolone cheese
- Parmesan cheese or shavings (the big chunks!)
- Greens: Mixed greens, iceberg, romaine, Bibb, spinach, or kale
Tips for Making an Antipasto Salad
- Chop your greens extra fine. The toppings really are the stars and the greens are a supporting character. Chunky leaves might overpower each bite.
- Use fresh, quality ingredients whenever possible. Things like fresh mozzarella, not prepackaged, or homemade dressings and croutons.
- Layer the salad with toppings placed on top but don’t toss until just before serving.
- Don’t add the dressing until just before tossing. Otherwise, it could get soggy!
- In a pinch, you can use store bought dressing, a favorite is a light lemon dressing.
- When serving a crowd, prep bowls of lettuce and have the toppings laid out for everyone to build their own bowls.
- Swap the greens for any cooked pasta to make a delicious Italian tortellini pasta salad.
Make Ahead and Storing
- To make ahead: To prep this salad ahead of time you’ll want to make sure to keep everything separate. Chop up your greens, and store your toppings individually until you’re ready to assemble and serve.
- To store: If you have leftover tossed salad, store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. It will definitely get a bit soggy and the lettuce will probably wilt, but the flavors will only get better. Yummy lunch for the next day!
More salad recipes to make include buffalo chicken salad, Olive garden salad and 7 layer salad recipe.
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Italian Antipasto Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
- 4 ounces salami , cut into bite sized pieces
- 4 ounces marinated artichoke hearts , quartered
- 4 ounces mozzarella balls
- ¼ cup mini pepperonis
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ cup olives
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
Optional mix-ins: peperoncino, extra veggies, chopped parsley or basil, croutons
For serving: Italian dressing or Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Chop 6 cups greens extra fine and then place in a large bowl.
- Layer 1 cup tomatoes, 4 ounces salami, 4 ounces artichoke hearts, 4 ounces mozzarella balls, 1/4 cup mini pepperoni, 1/2 cup olives and 1/4 cup red onion. Add fresh parsley or basil and peperoncino peppers if desired.
- Drizzle the dressing over top and then toss with salad tongs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Greens: mixed salad greens, romaine, iceberg lettuce, spinach, bibb lettuce, kale
- Veggies: bell peppers, carrots, radicchio
- Dressing: Vinaigrette, balsamic or Italian
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Common ingredients include cured meats, tomatoes, artichokes, olive, red onion and pepperoncini served over greens. Although you could add a lot more additional toppings as you wish!
Antipasto is singular and antipasti is plural. For example, this is a singular (antipasto) salad. If you are making an appetizer platter with different types of antipasto, like cheese or bread, you would call it antipasti.
Not too much! Both refer to an appetizer platter and often include meat. Charcuterie often contains more meat selections while antipasti includes meats, cheeses and vegetables. Although charcuterie has expanded and now includes many fun variations, too!
This salad would go well with many Italian dishes such as chicken piccata, shrimp scampi or even a homemade pizza recipe. Sometimes I just add a crusty French baguette on the side!
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, 30 Minute Meals, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Italian, Low Carb, Nut-Free, Pork, Salads
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I made this antipasto salad, followed the recipe and got awesome feedback! It is definitely a crowd-pleaser, it did not disappoint!
This salad was a huge hit at my BBQ this past weekend. My guests ate the entire salad! I will definitely be making this again!
I am loving this Antipasto Salad! It looks incredibly delicious!!