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This Antipasto Pasta Salad is an ideal choice for gatherings, whether it’s a party, potluck, or picnic. With a delightful mix of pasta, meats, and cheeses, it offers a satisfying and flavorful dish that is incredibly simple to prepare!
Why You’ll 🫶🏻 this Pasta Salad
This is a vibrant dish bursting with classic Italian flavors. This delightful mix combines elements of a pasta salad with traditional antipasti, featuring a medley of savory meats, rich cheeses, tangy artichokes, and roasted peppers. The addition of pepperoncini adds a spicy kick, while “marinated” mushrooms introduce another layer of flavor. With perfectly cooked pasta and a generous handful of fresh basil, this salad is so delicious that you might find it hard to stop eating! The best part is its versatility; you can easily customize it with your favorite ingredients, and it tastes even better the next day. Enjoy! ~Nicole
So yeah…I kind of vanished from the food blogging radar once again. I’ll spare you the details of a nasty fall that I had at the end of May. It left me pretty banged up and bruised from my knees down. And by bruised, I mean a severe bone contusion in my right knee that left me immobile for a couple of weeks until I had to push through the pain and gimp around The University of Missouri on crutches for Jack’s freshman orientation. Less than two weeks later, I was hobbling around the streets of Nashville to visit Vanderbilt University for Emma. Since then, I’ve been home, resting and recovering as much as I can before I have to leave for another road trip tomorrow. Mabelle’s U13 soccer team won their Midwest Regional soccer tournament, and we are off to Indianapolis to watch them compete for The National Cup⚽️🏆. Woohoo! So as you can read, it has been a painful, but proud two months of not blogging. Ok, that was a couple of details. 😉
On to the food…pasta salad. It’s the quintessential summer bowl of goodness that can be made in advance to feed a large crowd all at once or a busy family in shifts, since everyone is constantly coming and going. I swear, one of these days I am going to have revolving doors installed in the front and back of the house! Like most pasta salad recipes, the ingredients are flexible.
For instance, the original recipe called for 8 ounces each of sopressata and hot capicola (actually, they called for salami, but we prefer hot capicola). I only use 4 ounces of each because I think that is enough cured meat flavor. I also dial back on the sharp provolone, but then toss in some fresh mozzarella pearls because my family loves that creamy texture. I even add quartered artichoke hearts and a little oregano to bulk up the finished product and flavor. The one step in the recipe that is definitely a keeper and really makes it stand out is sautéing the mushrooms in part of the vinaigrette. They become tender and deeply marinated in those antipasto flavors. Having said that, “Make it for you, make it your own.” Happy cooking!
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Antipasto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Sopresatta, sliced, halved and cut into ¼-inch strips
- 4 ounces hot Capicola, sliced, halved and cut into ¼-inch strips
- 10 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
- 6 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 12 ounces pepperoncini, drained, (2 tablespoons juice reserved), stemmed and cut into ¼-inch rings
- 4 garlic cloves, large, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound pasta, fusilli or other curly shape
- 1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 4 ounces provolone cheese, sliced, cut into quarters and sliced into ¼-inch strips
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
- 12 ounces roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and sliced into bite-sized strips
- 15 ounce artichoke hearts, small, drained
- 1 cup basil, lightly packed, torn into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 5 tablespoons of vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, pepperoncini juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, ½teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper; set aside.
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, return to pot, and toss with ½ cup dressing and remaining 5 tablespoon of vinegar. Spread the dressed pasta onto a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring remaining dressing to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms and dressing to a large bowl to cool.
- Add the meats, cheeses, roasted peppers, artichokes, pepperoncini, basil, and cooled pasta to mushrooms and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature. Salad can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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