Make-Ahead Antipasto Salad with Italian Vinaigrette - Well Seasoned Studio (2024)

Can we get three cheers for no cook summer recipes that feed a crowd? This antipasto salad is everything you love most about a big ol’ Italian grazing platter, but conveniently mixed with an Italian vinaigrette that is quick, simple, and delivers big flavor. Here’s why we love it so much:

• 10 minutes of prep! This salad comes together as quickly as you can chop the ingredients.
• One bowl! Add everything to one mixing bowl, then toss with salad dressing and marinate.
• Ready immediately, but better the longer it sits! You can 100% enjoy this antipasto salad the minute it’s dressed (we certainly did!), but… if you have patience it just gets better the longer it marinates. Making this the most perfect make ahead salad for any summer cookout, picnic, or family gathering!
• Infinitely adaptable! We’re spilling the deets on our favorite combos below, but mix-and-match any Italian cold cuts or marinated vegetables to your heart’s content!

Perhaps the greatest gift of the antipasto salad is that you can double the dressing and toss it with either pasta, potatoes, or toasted bread for an insane pasta salad, potato salad, or panzanella salad. Yes, please!

Ingredients For Antipasto Salad

• Italian meats: salami, pepperoni, and mortadella
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Roasted red peppers
• Pitted green and black olives
• Finely chopped sweet onion

We’re providing lots of ingredient substitution ideas down below, but it’s very easy to mix and match your favorite antipasto in this salad!

Homemade Italian Vinaigrette

Let me tell you, making homemade Italian vinaigrette is both easy and about 100x better than store-bought. The base of the vinaigrette is made with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.

You’ll also need 1 garlic clove, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, granulated sugar, and Kosher salt.

To make the Italian vinaigrette, place all ingredients in a measuring cup and whisk until blended. Alternatively, you can place everything in a mason jar, seal tightly with a lid, then shake vigorously. Easy salad dressing in a matter of minutes!

How To Make This Salad In 10 Minutes

Listen, friends — this salad comes together as quickly as you can chop. It’s a no cook recipe, meaning if you’re efficient with a knife, this salad can be marinating in 10 minutes flat.

1. Chop or cube Italian meats. You can use thinly sliced meats and chop them into ½ – 1″ pieces (e.g., salami and mortadella, shown here) or you can cube thicker meats into chunks (e.g., the pepperoni). Place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Prepare the veggies. Mince or grate ½ a sweet onion. If available, buy roasted red peppers that are already thinly sliced. You can just give them a rough chop so they’re bite-size. Finally, halve or roughly chop the pitted olives. Add everything to the bowl.
3. Cube the cheese. Take an 8 oz ball of fresh mozzarella cheese and cut into ½ – 1″ size pieces. Add to the mixing bowl.
4. Dress the salad, then serve or marinate. Toss the antipasto with the homemade Italian vinaigrette and some thinly sliced basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then either serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed.

While the salad is delicious as soon as it’s tossed, it just gets better the longer it sits. Store in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Perfect for planning ahead for picnics, summer cookouts, or just meal prepping for the week ahead!

Making The Antipasto Salad Your Own!

There are endless ways to adapt this salad to your personal preferences. Here are a few ingredients that are common in Italian antipasto platters that would be wonderful as substitutions or additions:

• Other Italian cold cuts, such as prosciutto, soppresata, speck, ham, turkey, roast beef, or even porchetta.
• Instead of mozzarella cheese, use bocconcini balls, smoked mozzarella, provolone, or any Italian cheese you love most.
• Add roasted meats such as turkey, chicken, or pork.
• Use up dried or marinated vegetables lying around the fridge or pantry: sun dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, or marinated mushrooms are great!

If you’re planning to serve this as an antipasto pasta salad or potato salad, we recommend doubling the Italian vinaigrette. You may not need all of it, but both pasta and potatoes will absorb a lot of the liquid, and nobody wants a dry salad! Have a loaf of artisan bread lying around? Use it to turn this into a killer antipasto panzanella salad and live yo’ best life!

Looking for more delicious antipasto recipes? We are crazy in love with these antipasto skewers, especially turning them into an elegant wreath for holiday entertaining. Nothing beats the presentation!!

We will be so completely shocked if this doesn’t become a summertime staple for easy entertaining! If you make this Antipasto Salad please let us know by leaving a review and rating below! We can’t wait to hear what you think (and how quickly everyone begs you for the recipe)!

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For more summer salad recipes, check out the following:

• Well Seasoned House Salad
• Couscous Salad with Tarragon Roasted Shrimp
• Mexican Cobb Salad
• Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberry Rosé Vinaigrette
• Watermelon Feta Salad
• Avocado Tomato Salad