This Chopped Antipasto Salad is the perfect way to eat the rainbow! It's colorful, flavorful, and ready in just 15 minutes.
It's a lovely cooling Summer lunch served with ciabatta, a dreamy side salad for a weekend braai that will be everyone's new favorite, or the perfect side dish to an Italian soup.
If you like this recipe, try my Cheese Burger Bowl, this Gluten Free Burger and my Salmon Fritatta next! If you're interested in my journey with Perimenopause, read about that here.
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Why This Recipe Works
It works because it's like cramming a snack platter into a bowl. This chopped antipasto salad leaves you feeling like you've just had a treat without feeling like you need to make up for it later. As a perimenopausal mom striving to maintain a balance between work and family, these kinds of recipes are always a win.
It's light, flavorful, high in fiber and easily adjustable. Simply add any of your favorite antipasto ingredients and adjust the ingredient ratio to your preference. For example, I try not to eat a lot of cold cut or deli meats so I've only included a small amount in this recipe but you could add more.
This antipasto chopped salad can also be made ahead of time. This gives the flavors extra time to infuse and this recipe pairs beautifully with my Pasta with Lemon Pesto Sauce for a fuller meal.
Antipasto vs Charcuterie
Charcuterie is all the rage, which is understandable; who doesn't like to nibble on delicious food? From platters, to cones, to tea cups, it's hard to keep up with the latest display trend ideas, but the popularity never fades.
When I was studying to be a Cordon Bleu Chef at Silwood Kitchens, we were constantly learning new ways to present food beautifully. Hence my love for beautiful salads and platters.
So, what exactly makes an Italian antipasto (or antipasti, plural) different from a French charcuterie platter?
What makes them similar is that both include a variety of cheese, cured meats and a selection of other food additions. The difference is that, traditionally, the main focus of a charcuterie is on the cured meats, while an antipasto shares a broader focus with the other ingredients on the platter too.
Charcuterie was also more traditionally served on wooden boards. As opposed to antipasto being served on platters.
Can a charcuterie be turned into a salad as well? Sure. I just love to include the more Mediterranean flavors associated with an antipasto, which is why I enjoy this chopped antipasto salad.
Ingredients
For this chopped antipasto salad, we're using some traditional antipasto ingredients for inspiration:
- Artichoke hearts: low in calories and fat, but high in nutrients. I love the tender texture of simple artichokes in a salad.
- Romaine lettuce: I recommend a lettuce like this that holds its shape well with the other ingredients.
- Pine nuts: are great for extra protein, fiber and fats in this antipasto chopped salad. Pine nuts can be expensive (I just happen to have some from a my hubby's recent trip to Jordan) so go ahead and use an alternative if you need to: almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts are all great.
- Salami or peperoni sticks: my hubby prefers to eat game/venison so I've used a warthog salami sticks, but regular salami or peperoni works well too.
- Wholegrain mustard: are there any other kinds? Well, yes, but there's just something about the seed pops in a wholegrain that makes it my first choice.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Instructions
1. Gather all the ingredients together.
2. Chop all ingredients except the fresh pear and lettuce into small pieces.
3. Dry toast or roast the pine nuts and set aside to cool.
4. Pan fry the artichokes in a small amount of oil. This step is optional.
5. Add the salad dressing ingredients to a bowl.
6. Mix it lightly with a whisk and add any seasoning.
7. Prepare the lettuce and pear and place in the bowl.
8. Add the rest of the salad ingredients.
9. Mix everything together and you're ready to serve.
Hint: I like to eat this chopped antipasto recipe after it's been chilled in the fridge. It adds a refreshing, coolness to the crunch.
Substitutions
Here are a few easy substitute ingredients for this chopped antipasto salad:
- Lettuce: Cos lettuce works well as a substitute for Romaine lettuce. Just make sure to choose a sturdy lettuce to hold up to the other ingredients.
- Parmesan: I love the nuttiness of the flavor profile, but any hard cheese will work.
- Bocconcini: use regular mozzarella instead, even shredded will do but only shred it just before you mix your antipasto chopped salad together.
- Salami: swap deli meats for rotisserie chicken or even sliced steak. It's another great way to use up leftovers from other meals.
- Vegetarian: remove the meat and replace with eggplant or chickpeas.
Variations
This is another fun and creative recipe. Simply think Italian and Mediterranean, then play around with whichever flavors leave your taste buds tingling.
Some other ingredients I like to use in a chopped antipasto salad are:
- Sundried tomatoes
- Feta cheese
- Toasted almonds
- White beans
- White anchovies
- Toasted gluten free croutons
- Roasted peppers
- Fresh oregano and Italian parsley
- Pasta, you can use gluten free instead of regular, too
- Quinoa
Equipment
This recipe uses the absolute minimum equipment because everything gets mixed in one bowl, including our quick salad dressing!
So all you actually need to make this chopped antipasto salad is:
- A bowl to mix and serve in
- Chopping board
- A sharp knife
- Small pan for dry frying.
Yay for fewer dishes, right?
Storage
This chopped antipasto recipe is great for meal prep too. I like to store the fresh salad and sliced meat together in one container and keep the more oily artichokes and olives together in another. It will last about 4 days in the fridge.
I don't suggest freezing for this salad.
Top Tip
- I like to add olive oil as part of my salad dressing and rather avoid adding ingredients that are already oily, like olives or sundried tomatoes soaked in oil. Otherwise, it can make the whole salad too oily.
- Keep a jar of mixed salad dressing in the fridge ready for your next meal prep session.
- Pack extra portions with seed crackers for lunch.
- Use a tomato medley for added color.
FAQ
No, you don't have to toast the pine nuts first.
You can use asparagus instead of artichokes.
No, you don't need to store them separately. I prefer to store them separately to keep the salad fresh for longer.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chopped Antipasto Salad:
Chopped Antipasto Salad (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Ingredients For Chopped Antipasto Salad
- ½ A head of Romaine lettuce
- 1 Small pear, diced
- 1 Small red pepper, diced
- 2 Small zucchini, diced
- 4 Green/spring onions
- 6-7 Green olives, diced
- ¼ English cucumber, diced
- ¾ cup Cherry or grape tomato, diced
- 2-3 Artichoke hearts (canned), diced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup Bocconcini
- 4-5 Salami sticks (pepperoni sticks)
- 2 TBS Pine nuts
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Ingredients For Dressing
- 2 teaspoon Wholegrain mustard
- 1 TBS Balsamic vinegar
- 3 TBS Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients together
- Dice all your ingredients, except the fresh pear and lettuce, into a similar size and set aside.
- Toast your pine nuts for a few minutes in a dry pan. Allow to cool.
- Optional: Toss the diced artichokes in a little oil and dry roast them in a pan. Allow to cool.
- When you are ready to eat your salad, add the dressing ingredients to the mixing bowl.
- Whisk the dressing lightly and season it.
- Slice your lettuce and dice your pear. Add it to the bowl and top with all the salad ingredients.
- Toss together, garnish and serve.
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