Looking for a substantial salad for a BBQ? This easy Antipasto Salad is packed with meat and veggies and fits the bill perfectly!

Antipasto Salad With Red Wine Vinaigrette 

A person can never have too many salad recipes on hand for summer gatherings.  They are easy to make ahead of time and keep you out of the kitchen when friends are over. Win-win, right? And this Antipasto Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette is no exception.

Packed with meat and veggies, and dressed in a tasty red wine vinaigrette; this salad is substantial enough for a light meal on its own or a great addition to a summer BBQ. 

After all, who doesn’t need a go-to vinaigrette in their back pocket for easy summertime meals? (And if you have some extra dressing, save it and make this Italian Party Sub.)

What is Antipasto?

You might be thinking right now, “what in the world is antipasto? This just looks like a salad to me”. You’re not totally wrong, because antipasto can be a salad of sorts. 

The term antipasto is an Italian phrase meaning “before the meal” this means its usually used to describe whatever appetizers are enjoyed during the first course, before the main dish.

Some traditional ingredients often include things like cured meats, olives, pepperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses, pickled meats, and vegetables in oil or vinegar. Not necessarily all of those have to be in one, or every antipasto dish, but almost all of them include at least a few. 

Ingredients Needed For an Antipasto Salad

• Roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped and drained
• Pitted Kalamata olives
• Canned, chopped artichoke hearts, drained
• Sliced red onion
• Genoa salami
• Pepperoni
• Provolone cheese
• Grape tomatoes
• Romaine leaves

Can I Leave Out Some of The Toppings? 

You can definitely customize this recipe however you like. That’s the beauty of dishes like this antipasto with red wine vinaigrette. They that a boatload of fun topping that you can mix and match in any way you want. 

Just don’t go skipping too many of the ingredients or you won’t get the unique full flavor of the dish, and might instead end up with something incredibly bland. A skipped topping here or there won’t hurt though if absolutely necessary. 

I do highly suggest giving it at least one try with everything on it. You would be surprised how much you might find you still love it, even with an ingredient you don’t typically like hidden inside. 

How To Make Antipasto Salad With Red Wine Vinaigrette

This Antipasto Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette is devoured by everyone, even those who aren’t salad fans. (Yes, it’s shocking those people exist!)  It has all of the good things that people love like pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, salami, and artichoke hearts while still having a little lettuce.  

Simply pile the meat and veggies on top of a bed of Romaine leaves on the platter, drizzle with the red wine vinaigrette and voila – you have the perfect substantial summer salad! Summer eating can’t get much easier or more delicious.

To make this recipe, just make sure that the roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and Kalamata olives are well-drained. Place them in a large bowl. Add the red onion, meats, cheese, and tomatoes, Stir gently to combine. Add Red Wine Vinaigrette and coat the antipasto salad. If needed, add more dressing to get to desired taste and serve over a bed of romaine leaves.

Do I Have To Use This Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette? 

No, at all! While we love this antipasto salad with the red wine vinaigrette, it can be just as good with a different dressing as well. Whether you still want a vinaigrette, but would rather use store-bought, or you prefer to make a different type of dressing, the options are endless. 

This recipe would be good with Italian, balsamic, or any other oil-based dressings. I don’t suggest a creamy dressing as it will be too thick and heavy for a recipe like this. You want a light and fresh dressing to give the antipasto salad recipe just that extra bump of flavor. 

How Do I Serve Antipasto Salad?

As the name suggests, you’ll typically want to serve your antipasto salad as a pre-dinner appetizer, but it could also work well as a hearty side dish, if the main dish it lighter, or meatless. 

It makes a great summer party appetizer that people will devour, and won’t take up too much time to make. Then, all you have to do is place it on a nice platter with some serving spoons and let people flock to their new favorite appetizer. 

Tips For Storing Antipasto Salad

• Serve cold: This is a dish best served cold, not room temperature, or warm, so once you’re done making the salad, stick it in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill all the ingredients, for best results. 
• Always keep it in the refrigerator: If you plan to keep leftovers, to safely eat again, don’t leave this sitting on the counter too long. You’ll want to make sure everything is put away and refrigerated overnight, or some of the fresh ingredients will begin to go bad. 
• Store leftovers in an airtight container: Don’t just shove the serving platter in the refrigerator and call it a day. Everything will get dried out, and will significantly reduce the shelf life of this antipasto recipe. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

Looking for more great BBQ side dishes?

Danish Potato Salad– Garnish with Lemon

Bacon Pea Salad– Foodie with Family

Tomato Feta Pasta Salad– Garnish with Lemon

Asian Napa Cabbage Slaw– Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Panzanella– Garnish with Lemon

Yield: 6-8

Antipasto Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

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An easy salad that is full of flavor!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Antipasto Salad:

• 1/2 cup bottled roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped and drained
• 1 (7-ounce) jar pitted Kalamata olives, drained
• 1 1/2 cups canned, chopped artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup Genoa salami, cut in matchsticks
• 1/4 Cup pepperoni, cut in matchsticks
• 1/2 cup Provolone cheese, cut in matchsticks
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• Romaine leaves for serving

Instructions

To make the vinaigrette:

1. Place the vinegar, oregano, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir together. Gradually add the olive oil and whisk to thoroughly combine. Set aside until needed. (You will have extra.)

To make the Antipasto Salad:

1. Make sure that the roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives are well-drained. Place them in a large bowl. Add the red onion, meats, cheese and tomatoes, Stir gently to combine. Add 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette and coat the antipasto salad. If needed, add more dressing to get to desired taste.
2. Serve over a bed of romaine leaves.
3. 
   

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 75 Carbohydrates: 15g Protein: 4g