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Antipasto Pasta Salad – This Italian pasta salad is loaded with all the good stuff. We’re talking salami, cheese, a mix of fresh and briny veggies, plus fresh basil, all tossed together in a zesty homemade Italian dressing. So much flavor in every bite!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Italian Pasta Salad
- It’s basically an Italian snack board in pasta salad form: Imagine all your favorite antipasti goodies transformed into a delicious pasta salad or think Italian chopped salad meets pasta salad. Either way, it’s a whole lot of yum!
- Quick and easy: Ready in under 30 minutes – faster if you multitask while the pasta cooks.
- It’s a summer mealtime MVP: Say hello to your new summer sidekick. It’s picnic-ready, potluck-perfect and a total hit at cookouts and backyard BBQs. It also hits the spot as a main dish when it’s way too hot to cook.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad recipe…
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
- Pasta: Grab your favorite short-cut pasta – cavatappi, rotini, farfalle, whatever you love! I used fusilli in the photos.
- Salami: Pick a salami you love and chop it into bite-sized pieces. I’m a big fan of parmesan salami for this.
- Cheese: We’re going with a double cheese situation here. Soft and mild mozzarella pearls or mini bocconcini plus some parmesan or asiago for a salty, nutty kick.
- Fresh stuff: Grape or cherry tomatoes, red onion, green bell pepper and fresh basil bring the fresh flavors to this salad.
- Briny and pickled goodness: These bring the big flavors. I went with a mix of pitted olives (any kind you like!), roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and pepperoncini.
- Dressing: The homemade zesty Italian vinaigrette is made from extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, water, grated parmesan, organic cane sugar, garlic powder, dried herbs (oregano and basil), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Customize It
Pasta salads like this are super easy to tweak so don’t be afraid to play with it! Here are a few tasty ideas:
- Add in some chopped up marinated grilled veggies.
- Swap out the salami for whatever Italian cured meats you’re into – prosciutto, capocollo or even just mix and match a few meats.
- No mozzarella pearls or baby bocconcini? Just chop up some fresh mozzarella into bite-sized pieces and you’re good to go.
- Toss in some chickpeas for a little extra protein and heartiness.
How To Make Antipasto Pasta Salad
This pasta salad comes together in no time – let me show you how easy it is, step-by-step!
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pound (454 grams) of your favorite short-cut pasta according to the package directions. Drain it, then rinse under cold water right away to cool it down.
- Load it up: Place the drained, cooled pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add in 2 cups halved or quartered grape or cherry tomatoes, 1 small red onion (quartered and thinly sliced) and 1 medium green bell pepper (diced). Toss in 7 ounces (200grams) of chopped salami, one 8-ounce or 200 gram container of mini bocconcini or mozzarella pearls (drained) and ½ cup of small cubed parmesan or asiago cheese. Then add ½ cup of pitted olives (chopped or sliced), ½ cup roasted red peppers (chopped or sliced), ½ cup of canned or marinated artichoke hearts (drained and chopped), ½ cup of chopped pepperoncini, and a good handful of fresh basil (torn or chopped).
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan, 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried basil, 2 teaspoons sea salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix it all up: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss everything together. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed – I sometimes sprinkle in a little homemade bouillon powder or Italian seasoning salt blend for extra flavor. Serve it right away or let it chill in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes first.
Tips
A Few Quick Tips
- Cook your pasta just a little extra: Go about 1-2 minutes past al dente. It keeps the pasta nice and tender even after it cools down.
- Don’t worry if the dressing tastes salty: That’s actually the goal! This dressing is made to season plain pasta, not delicate greens. The extra seasoning helps make every bite super flavorful.
- Best enjoyed fresh: This pasta salad is at its peak in the first hour. If you’re making it ahead, keep the salad and dressing separate and toss just before serving. Or save a little extra dressing to freshen it up if it will be sitting in the fridge for more than an hour.
FAQ
Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The pasta tends to absorb the vinaigrette so you might want to toss it with some extra dressing before digging in.
Sort of! It’s definitely best served right away or after chilling in the fridge for about 30 to 60 minutes (or it starts to dry out). If you want to prep ahead, just keep the salad ingredients, fresh basil, and dressing stored separately. Then toss together right before serving.
I know, rinsing pasta feels so wrong but for pasta salad, it’s actually the right move. The cold water cools it down fast and stops it from cooking any further. It also washes off the extra starch, so your noodles don’t end up sticking together in one big clump.
More Pasta Salads You Need To Try
Did you make this Italian pasta salad recipe? I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment below.
Antipasto Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Description
Antipasto Pasta Salad – This Italian pasta salad is loaded with all the good stuff. We’re talking salami, cheese, a mix of fresh and briny veggies, plus fresh basil, all tossed together in a zesty homemade Italian dressing. So much flavor in every bite!
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 1 pound (454 grams) uncooked short-cut pasta (e.g. fusilli, rotini, cavatappi, farfalle, etc.)
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (1 pint)
- 1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 7 ounces (200 grams) sliced salami, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 8-ounce (or 200 gram) container of mini bocconcini or mozzarella pearls, drained
- ½ cup small cubed parmesan or asiago cheese
- ½ cup pitted olives, chopped or sliced (any variety you love)
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped or sliced
- ½ cup canned or marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- ½ cup pepperoncini, chopped
- handful fresh basil, torn or chopped
For the dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
- 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water until the pasta is cooled. Drain well and add the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Add remaining salad ingredients: Add the remaining pasta salad ingredients to the bowl with the pasta.
- Make dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or shake together in a jar.
- Toss together: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad ingredients and toss everything together. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed – I sometimes sprinkle in a little homemade bouillon powder or Italian seasoning blend for extra flavor. Serve it right away or let it chill in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes first.
Notes
- Cook your pasta just a little extra: Go about 1-2 minutes past al dente. It keeps the pasta nice and tender even after it cools down.
- Don’t worry if the dressing tastes salty: That’s actually the goal! This dressing is made to season plain pasta, not delicate greens. The extra seasoning helps make every bite super flavorful.
- Make Ahead Tip: This pasta salad is at its best in the first hour. If you’re making it ahead, keep the salad and dressing separate and toss just before serving. Or save a little extra dressing to freshen it up if it will be sitting in the fridge for more than an hour.
Finally got around to making this for a weekend BBQ, and wow, total crowd pleaser!
Usually I tweak recipes a bit, but this one didn’t need much at all.
Combination of flavors was spot on, tangy, savory, fresh.
Kalamata olives were the star for me.
Brought it to the table and it disappeared fast.
Overall, a keeper for any kind of gathering.
Just might add some roasted artichokes next time.
Amazing balance between pasta and the antipasto ingredients.
Nice work, thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy it was a hit! It’s definitely a flavorful pasta salad!