Chopped Antipasto Salad
This easy chopped antipasto salad is packed with bold Italian flavors and makes the perfect hearty lunch and dinner, or a crowd-pleasing salad for a potluck!
If you can’t get enough delicious Italian salads, try this Italian grinder chicken salad, or this chopped Italian grinder salad!
Recipe Ingredients: Chopped Antipasto Salad
For the dressing:
For the salad:
How to make this chopped antipasto salad: Step by step
Ingredient Notes, Substitutions & Additions
Lettuce: Romaine is more hearty, but iceberg lettuce (or a combination of the two!) works just fine.
Deli meats: This recipe uses a mix of prosciutto, salami, and calabrese, but you can use WHATEVER deli meats your little heart desires! Ham, pepperoni, or even chicken are all great in this salad. Mix and match!
Artichoke hearts: I use canned, non-marinated artichoke hearts.
Kalamata olives: I love the briny/salty flavor from kalamata olives, but you can use regular black olives to make this more traditional Italian.
Fresh mozzarella: Using the mini mozzarella balls (ciliegine) is easy, but you can also cut fresh mozzarella into small pieces, too. Try using the marinated mozzarella balls for even more flavor.
Additions: To bulk this salad up, you can add small pasta (such as orzo), cannellini beans, or chickpeas.
Some other yummy additions are: sun-dried tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, chopped fresh parsley, and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.
Expert Tips
- Measure with your heart: This salad (like with most salad recipes) is truly a measure with your heart recipe. Add more or less of anything! That’s the beauty of cooking at home!
- Make ahead: This pasta salad can be made 1-3 days ahead of time, but keep the dressing separate. Also, add the fresh basil right before serving.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The basil will wilt a bit, so you can add a bit more to maintain the freshness or add the fresh basil when you serve it. Keep the dressing separate, if possible.
How to serve
Starter for Italian dinners: Serve small portions of this salad as an appetizer for Italian meals like this baked tortellini casserole or this hearty homemade meat sauce.
Garlic bread or breadsticks: We love serving this salad with some fresh crusty bread or garlic bread.
Hearty lunch: This salad makes a perfect lunch! You can bulk it up with cooked pasta (like tortellini or orzo) or chickpeas, if you like.
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know your thoughts on this chopped antipasto salad by leaving a star rating below or sharing it on Instagram!
Thank you! ~ Casey
Chopped Antipasto Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing (See Note 1)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. EACH coarse salt and black pepper
For the salad
- 2 hearts of romaine, chopped about 6-8 cups
- 12 oz. mozzarella balls
- 8 oz. prosciutto, salami, and calabrese, chopped See Note 2
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped I used halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped I used canned (drained) plain artichoke hearts
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini, sliced
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced can use regular black olives, too
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
Instructions
- Make the dressing: To a bowl or small mason jar, add oil, vinegar, Dijon, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake well until combined. Set aside.
- Add & toss: To a large serving bowl, add all of the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the top, toss, and serve right away!
This salad for lunch is EVERYTHING!! So delicious and flavorful — I hope you love it as much as I do! XO ~ Casey
I made this salad for my husband and me last night. We wanted something refreshing but hearty enough for dinner. This was perfect. We ate it on our patio and shared a bottle of Cabernet. Delicious and just the right combination of flavors. Thank you. I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes.
So glad you loved it-that sounds like my perfect dinner, too!! XO ~ Casey