This Antipasto Salad is arranged like a Christmas wreath festively and elegantly. It takes only 15 minutes to put together so it is perfect as a quick holiday dish. It has Mediterranean veggies, cured meats, greens, herbs, and fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, making it the ideal low-carb, high-protein Italian salad platter for entertaining.
Did you know you can add anything you have from the pantry?
You can even prepare it before your guests arrive. It is super fresh and no cooking is required!
It is a hit at my household! I will bring this out after all the guests have arrived so all can view it because it truly is a shop stopper and I am quite proud of this tasty dish.
It does get lots of oohs and ahhs!
Table of Contents
- 1 Antipasto Salad Recipe
- 2 Why make this Italian antipasto salad
- 3 What is antipasto (or antipasti)?
- 4 Ingredients and Substitutions
- 5 How to Make Antipasto Salad
- 6 Add-ons for Keto Antipasto Salad
- 7 Wine Pairing
- 8 Expert Tips
- 9 Different Ways to Serve it
- 10 What to Do with Leftovers
- 11 How to Store Antipasto Salad Platter
- 12 Other Salad Recipes
- 13 BEST Antipasto Salad
Antipasto Salad Recipe
You will be “WOWed” over this festive Italian salad.
It is full of different colors, textures, and contrasting flavors.
All the macros of a keto diet are present and are fresh and delicious.
You can easily customize your own by replacing some of the ingredients or adding extra ones.
The key is to choose cold meats, cheeses, and veggies with different profile flavors (mild, spicy, savory, sweet, tangy) and colors and overlap them to give depth, as you do when arranging an easy charcuterie board or dessert platter.
But before making one, try to match ingredients from a specific world cuisine like did because this will tie them together and they will pair with each other more easily.
You may add some focaccia slices or grissini (Italian thin breadsticks) to serve with it. Don't be shy to use leftovers to make sandwiches for a quick lunch.
Why make this Italian antipasto salad
- It will be the talk of any party, potluck, picnic, and backyard bbq
- Versatile: It can be served as an appetizer, main dish, or a side, and you can customize your own easily.
- It's quick and easy to put together and tastes gourmet.
- An easy keto dish that is colorful, beautiful, and elegant!
- Kid-friendly!
- It's easy to prep ahead and arranges it when ready to serve!
- This antipasto salad is hearty, comforting, and refreshing!
- You can make it all year long!
What is antipasto (or antipasti)?
Antipasto (plural antipasti) is the first course of any Italian meal – and this one looks like a meat and cheese board appetizer.
It often consists of an array of cheeses (like mozzarella), cured meats (like prosciutto, salami, capocollo, and soppressata), marinated veggies (like artichokes), and briny favorites (like olives and pepperoncini).
There really is not only one way to make or serve antipasto. Everyone makes it a little differently! the same applies to an antipasto salad.
This one is a keto antipasto salad!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make the best antipasto salad, you will need:
- 1 cup spring mix lettuce, for garnish (or arugula if you prefer)
- 3 ounces fresh rosemary, for garnish (or basil or thyme sprigs if you want)
- 35 ounces kalamata olives
- 10 ounces Italian Castelvetrano olives
- 10 ounces red cherry tomatoes (you may add yellow cherry tomatoes or half of each)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese pearls
- 1 cup pepperoncini, cut in half and stems off
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, cut in half or quartered
- 4 slices each of Genoa salami, sweet capocollo, and sweet soppressata (4 slices of each, or any other Italian cured meats of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin if possible and you can add 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (or less)
How to Make Antipasto Salad
- In a wreath- shape, arrange the leafy lettuce so your ingredients have a nice bed for them to lay on. PIC. 1
- Use a pair of scissors and cut the rosemary into pieces. Arrange the rosemary on top of the lettuce so it is pointing outside so as to create the full wreath. PIC. 2
- Arrange the kalamata olives, Castelvetrano olives, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, and cured meats on top of the leafy lettuce and rosemary. Arrange the ingredients by overlapping them so as to give the wreath depth. Make sure to alternate the ingredients so there is contrasting color throughout the wreath. PICS. 3 & 4
- Use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil over the wreath. PIC. 5 Sprinkle coarse salt over the wreath. PIC. 6
Add-ons for Keto Antipasto Salad
- Additional add-ons to dress up your festive antipasto wreath: black olives, prosciutto, cubed cheese, roasted red pepper strips, cheese tortellini, or sun-dried tomatoes. There are endless options so be as creative as you would like!
- Serve with bread and butter, crackers, pretzel sticks, and nuts.
- Can add toothpicks to the appetizer. You can also use skewers and alternate the ingredients on the skewers and arrange them in a wreath shape by placing them side by side and following the wreath shape.
Wine Pairing
Pair the savory meats of this antipasto salad with lighter-bodied white wines (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio) or light to medium-bodied red wines (Pinot Noir or Merlot).
Expert Tips
- If you don't find mozzarella balls, no worries! ? You can use cubed mozzarella, provolone, or feta cheese!
- Turn this into an antipasto pasta salad by simply adding cooked, cooled pasta to the mix. I prefer tortellini or ravioli.
- You can meal prep this easy antipasto salad easily: Follow our instructions and then divide it into servings. Refrigerate the salad in airtight containers. It will keep well for 3-4 days.
- However, if you are making this ahead, add the coarse salt and olive oil (and balsamic vinegar) before serving.
- Mix and match cured meats, cheeses, herbs, and veggies of different colors, textures, and flavors.
Different Ways to Serve it
There is more than one to serve an antipasto salad: You can arrange it like a wreath for the holidays! Or you can toss all the ingredients together like a simple tossed salad.
It works well on a buffet as a vegetarian main dish or a side dish, or as even an appetizer.
To make it fancier, if using prosciutto you can roll-strip them into little rosettes before placing them on the platter or board.
Moreover, you can stack some of the ingredients in a cocktail skewer to make an hors d'oeuvre for a party.
What to Do with Leftovers
Use Leftovers to make cold sandwiches, pasta salads, pizza, or this Mediterranean pasta!
How to Store Antipasto Salad Platter
Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
The appetizer can sit out at room temperature for no more than 3 hours.
Do NOT freeze it!
Other Salad Recipes
- Berry Salad
- Brazilian Potato Salad (with Mayonnaise)
- Healthy Potato Salad (No Mayo)
- Beet Goat Cheese Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
PIN & ENJOY!
BEST Antipasto Salad
Equipment
- 1 platter or wood board
- 1 brush
Ingredients
- 1 cup spring mix lettuce for garnish (or arugula if you prefer)
- 3 ounces fresh rosemary for garnish (or basil or thyme sprigs if you want)
- 35 ounces kalamata olives
- 10 ounces Italian Castelvetrano olives
- 10 ounces red cherry tomatoes you may add yellow cherry tomatoes or half of each
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese pearls
- 1 cup pepperoncini cut in half and stems off
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts cut in half or quartered
- 4 slices each of Genoa salami sweet capocollo, and sweet soppressata (4 slices of each, or any cured meat of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin if possible and you can add 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt or less
Instructions
- In a wreath- shape, arrange the leafy lettuce so your ingredients have a nice bed for them to lay on.
- Use a pair of scissors and cut the rosemary into pieces. Arrange the rosemary on top of the lettuce so it is pointing outside so as to create the full wreath.
- Arrange the kalamata olives, Castelvetrano olives, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, and cured meats on top of the leafy lettuce and rosemary. Arrange the ingredients by overlapping them so as to give the wreath depth. Make sure to alternate the ingredients so there is contrasting color throughout the wreath.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil over the wreath. Sprinkle coarse salt over the wreath.
Recipe Notes
- Additional add-ons to dress up your festive antipasto wreath: black olives, prosciutto, cubed cheese, roasted red pepper strips, cheese tortellini, or sun-dried tomatoes. There are endless options so be as creative as you would like.
- Serve with bread such as focaccia slices or grissini and butter, crackers, pretzel sticks, and nuts.
- Don't be shy to use leftovers to make sandwiches for a quick lunch.
- You can add toothpicks to the appetizer. You can also use skewers and alternate the ingredients on the skewers and arrange them in a wreath shape by placing them side by side and following the wreath shape.
- To the olive oil, you can add 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.
- If you are making this ahead add the coarse salt and olive oil (and balsamic vinegar) before serving.
- STORAGE: This can store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days covered. The appetizer can sit out at room temperature for no more than 3 hours. Do not freeze!
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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