This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
This easy, vibrant antipasto pasta salad is about to become your new favorite combining olives, roasted peppers, marinated artichokes, preserved meats, baby mozzarella and plenty of fresh basil with a punchy homemade vinaigrette. It’s a pasta salad that will never be sad, dry or boring, and which will be the first to disappear at your next potluck or cook-out!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- Think your favorite antipasto platter… but in pasta salad form! This easy (and perfect for entertaining) antipasto pasta salad is packed with all your favorite deli items from creamy little balls of mozzarella, to briny olives and salty, spicy pepperoni.
- This is not that dry, boring pasta salad you ate at that potluck last month just to be polite. I know that anyone can toss a couple of deli items with cooked, cooled pasta and call it a salad, but this antipasto pasta salad recipe takes this basic concept to the next level — I’ve tested this recipe to get the right balance of salty / tangy / crunchy salad vegetable and deli items, and we’re dressing the pasta salad warm in a punchy homemade vinaigrette so all that delicious flavor absorbs into every last piece of pasta.
- I’ve used all my favorite antipasto in this salad — but you can easily switch things up to make this pasta salad reflect your favorites. I’ve included some tips for this below!
What I Learned Testing This Recipe
- This pasta salad is even better the next day. Just hold back a little vinaigrette to refresh it before serving, since pasta absorbs dressing as it sits, so if you skip this step it might be a little dry!
- Rotini or fusilli are the ideal — their spirals trap the dressing and little bits of meat and olive perfectly. Farfalle also works beautifully, but if you want to use something already in your pantry you’re aiming for a short shape with some sort of twist or groove in it.
- On the recipe card below I’ve listed this as serving 6 people as a main meal (because it is totally what I wish I was eating for lunch everyday!) but as a side dish I’d allow for 8-10 portions, or more if you’ve got plenty of other dishes on the table.
Recipe Variations
Make it vegetarian: Simply leave out the salami and pepperoni. They’re both quite salty, so don’t be surprised if you need to add a little more salt than the written recipe calls for to balance the pasta salad out properly.
Make it dairy free: Simply leave out the baby mozzarella balls.
Add-ins: I’ve made this pasta salad with the antipasto I love — if you and your family have different preferences they’ll totally work here. A handful of sun-dried tomatoes, some jarred roasted garlic, or a few fresh cherry peppers would all be right at home, as would diced Swiss-style cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can and while it will taste just as good, torn mozzarella tends to pick up the color of the dressing and look a bit of a mess in tossed pasta salads like this. So totally fine for your family, but perhaps not for guests!
If you really hate them you can, but I’ve got an easy trick for you if you’re super sensitive to raw onion: soak the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes before patting dry on kitchen paper and using. This trick also works for shallots in dressings and sliced onions for burgers.
Leftovers should keep in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Antipasto Salad with Italian Dressing
- Easy White Bean Salad Recipe
- Blackened Shrimp Salad Recipe
- Cajun Chicken Salad Recipe with Ranch Dressing
- Mediterranean Chickpea and Cucumber Salad
- Mexican Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Simple Salad Nicoise Recipe with Dijon Mustard Dressing
- Texas Cowboy Caviar Recipe
- Paleo Italian Salad Recipe
- Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Croutons
- High Protein Pasta Salad
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces short pasta rotini, fusilli, or farfalle
- 1 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls ciliegine
- 12 ounces jar marinated artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- ½ cup mixed olives black, green, Kalamata – halved
- ½ cup roasted red peppers chopped
- 4 ounces salami diced or sliced into half-moons
- 4 ounces pepperoni quartered
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncinis
- â…“ cup red onion thinly sliced
- â…“ cup fresh basil torn or chiffonade
Vinaigrette
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt plus more for pasta water
- ¼ teaspoons black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop cooking (but don't completely cool it), and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss to prevent sticking while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Make the vinaigrette: Combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes in a jar. Seal and shake vigorously to combine. Season with the salt and black pepper, to taste. Taste and adjust — it should be punchy!
- Dress the pasta warm: While the pasta is still slightly warm, pour about half the vinaigrette over it and toss to coat. This helps the pasta absorb the dressing. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add the antipasto goodies: Add the halved tomatoes, mozzarella balls, drained and chopped marinated artichoke hearts, halved olives, roasted red peppers, diced or sliced salami, quartered pepperoni, sliced pepperoncinis, and thinly sliced red onion to the pasta. Toss everything together to distribute evenly.
- Final dress and chill: Add the remaining vinaigrette and toss again. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or a splash more vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Before serving, give it a good toss — the pasta will absorb dressing as it sits, so add a drizzle more olive oil if needed.
- Garnish and serve: Top with the fresh basil (either torn or chiffonade) just before serving.Served cold or at room temperature.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.