This recipe is basically an antipasto platter in pasta salad form. You toss together olives, cheese, meats, and pickled peppers with pasta and your favorite vinaigrette. I use bottled dressing but included a recipe for homemade if that’s more your style. It’s a perfect side dish for a summer BBQ. And, happily, it tastes even better when made a day ahead. So you don’t need to rush around making this right before guests arrive.
When I want to make pasta salad that feels fresh, this is what I make. Instead of a creamy mayo-based dressing, this one gets tossed with Italian dressing. The vinegary dressing does two things. It lets all other ingredients shine and brings all the flavors together. Basically it’s like a perfect party guest. One who knows how to get the conversation going and make every feel seen.
Ingredients and Substitutions.
Think this ingredient list as of more as a guide than set-in-stone. If you prefer a different type of olive, use it. Love artichoke hearts? Add some! Want lots of veggies? Put them in. This is your salad. Fill it with all the delicious things you enjoy.
- Rotini Pasta. The corkscrew shape holds onto the dressing. This means the dressing doesn’t pool in the bottom of the bowl. Use regular or tri-color rotini. If you can’t find rotini, fusilli or mini-shells are a good substitute.
- Italian Dressing. Zesty or red wine vinaigrette are my two favorites.
- Grape Tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes in half before adding them to the salad. This prevents them from bursting when you bite into one.
- Great Northern Beans. Any white bean works but I like the tender texture and delicate flavor of great northern
- Pearl Mozzarella. The small size of pearl mozzarella stirs easily into the salad. If you can’t find them, use either small mozzarella balls (cut those in half) or diced fresh mozzarella. To make cutting fresh mozzarella easier, freeze it for about 30 minutes before cutting.
- Pepperoncini. Chopped pepperoncini or banana peppers add a mild heat. I always add a splash of the brine to the dressing to amp up the vinegar flavor.
- Olives. Any olives are perfect for this. I usually use Kalamata and green olives because I keep giant jars of them in the fridge.
- Red Onion. A little raw onion adds flavor. Too much raw onion overpowers the salad. Don’t go wild with the onion.
- Salami. I always add some diced hard salami or soppressata. If you want to keep this dish meat-free, omit it.
Tips for the Best Antipasto Pasta Salad.
We’ve all eaten a bad pasta salad. The ones were the pasta is soggy or crunchy and there’s either too much or too little dressing. Here’s how to avoid this so you’ll have a perfect salad every time.
- Salt the pasta water well.
This is your only chance to season the pasta. Cooking it in well-salted water makes a noticeable difference in the final flavor. Aim for about two teaspoons of salt in a large pot of water. - Don’t overcook the pasta.
Cook the pasta until it’s tender and holds its shape. Crunchy or mushy pasta salad isn’t tasty. - Cool the pasta. Don’t chill it.
As soon as the pasta is cooked, give it a quick rinse with cold water. This stops the cooking process. But don’t rinse for so long that you make the pasta cold. This trick makes a big difference. After a quick rinse with cold water, the pasta will still be a little warm. This is when you want to toss it with the vinaigrette. Warm pasta absorbs the dressing nicely, making each bite flavorful. - Give it a rest.
A quick 30 minute chill in the fridge, or better yet, overnight, helps the flavors come together. Making this ahead is always a good idea. - Taste before serving.
After the rest, stir the salad and add more dressing or seasonings as needed.
How to Make it Yours
Like I said, this isn’t a recipe as much as it’s a guide. Here are some way to customize the salad.
- Change up the pasta. I like tri color rotini because it looks so pretty and the shape is great for catching dressing. But penne or cavatappi work great too.
- Mix up the cheese. Fresh mozzarella has my heart. But I often swap in feta for a salty bite or provolone for a sharp flavor.
- Add more vegetables. Use whatever vegetables look best. Roasted vegetables are a really lovely addition.
- Play with briny flavors. I like to use a mix of olives. Marinated artichokes, capers, and different pickled peppers are fun to add.
How to Store Leftovers
This recipe makes a generous amount of salad. So you might have leftovers. Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Give it a quick stir before serving and then enjoy.
Antipasto Pasta Salad
The flavors and ingredients of an antipasto platter inspired this pasta salad. Cooled rotini pasta is tossed with a red wine vinaigrette. Then add tomatoes, beans, banana peppers, fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives, and salami. It's best to prep all the ingredients before cooking the pasta. This way, you’re ready to stir everything together when the pasta is ready.
Plan to chill the pasta salad for a few hours or overnight before serving. This gives the pasta time to absorb all the flavors.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces tri-color rotini or penne pasta
- ¾ cup Zesty Italian or red wine vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini or banana pepper brine, optional, see note
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, rinsed
- 8 ounces pearl mozzarella
- 4 ounces hard salami, sliced
- ½ cup pepperoncini or banana peppers, roughly chopped
- ½ cup sliced green, black or Kalamata olives (or a mix)
- ½ medium red onion (diced about ½ cup)
- fresh or dried basil, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Red Wine Vinaigrette (If you don't want to use bottled dressing)
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, use about two teaspoons of salt. Cook pasta until tender.
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Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until cool.
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Toss the pasta with the vinaigrette and pepperoncini or banana pepper brine. Stir gently to combine. Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Taste. Add basil and black pepper to taste.
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Cover and chill for two hours or overnight. Before serving, stir the salad. Add more dressing if needed.
Red Wine Vinaigrette
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Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. This dressing separates. Whisk together right before pouring over pasta.
Recipe Notes
Pepperoncini or banana pepper brine: about a tablespoon of brine (liquid) from the jar of pepperoncini or banana peppers adds a nice flavor boost.
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