Name: Italian Antipasto Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 to 5 cups kale, thinly sliced (or romaine); 1 cup roasted red peppers, drained; 1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and cut into bite-size pieces; 1 cup cucumber, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces; 1 cup tomatoes (diced or cherry); 1/2 cup red onion, halved and then thinly sliced; 1 cup olives, pitted; 1/4 cup pepperoncini, drained and sliced; 8 oz genoa salami, cut into 1/4 to 1/2" cubes; 8 oz mozzarella pearls; 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated; 1/4 cup basil, fresh (torn or chiffonade); 1/3 cup olive oil; 3½ tablespoons red wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons garlic, minced; 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 tablespoon sweetener (Sugar or a 1:1 sugar substitute such as granulated monk fruit sweetener); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Italian Antipasto Salad Platter is the perfect salad for a crowd. All your favorite antipasto ingredients but in a salad - kale, olives, artichokes, marinated vegetables, cucumber, tomato, salami, and cheeses, tossed with a tangy antipasto dressing.

Antipasto salad is loaded with all the Italian flavors you love! It's also a low carb, sugar free, and keto salad (only 4 g net carbs). What's not to love?

portrait image of antipasto salad presented on a large white platter

The Best Antipasto Salad Platter

So Much Flavor

Antipasto salad platter is loaded with flavor. It reminds me of all the good parts of an Italian sub sandwich, minus the bread. 🙂 Like a chopped Italian salad! So delicious.

It's A Beautiful Salad

This is a gorgeous salad and makes a great presentation when laid out on a platter. Take this to a party and people will ooh and aah! 🙂

Easy To Make

Antipasto salad is an easy salad to put together. Really it's just some chopping involved and you can add a little more or less of certain ingredients, or you can sub out for things you don't like for ingredients you do!

Bonus! I used kale to make this recipe and because it's a little "tougher" it keeps really well and doesn't wilt like regular lettuce. This can be eaten over a few meals! If you aren't concerned about this, I would use romaine lettuce or other "stiffer" lettuce that can stand up to the weight of the ingredients.

Gluten-Free, Low Carbs and Keto

Why not call it the anti-pasta antipasto salad!? 🙂 It fits, right? No pasta is used in this version and with 19 grams of fat and only 4 grams of net carbs - you've got the perfect salad for a meal!

Keto followers make sure to use a sugar substitute such as a granulated monk fruit sweetener!

19 g fat | 4 g net carbs | 16.4 g protein

What You Will Need

Tools

Ingredients

Salad

Kale, thinly sliced (or romaine)
Roasted Red Pepper, drained
Artichoke hearts, drained and cut into bite size pieces
Cucumber, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
Tomatoes (diced or cherry)
Red onion, halved and then thinly sliced
Olives, pitted
Pepperoncini, drained and sliced
Genoa Salami (1/4 to 1/2" cubes)
Mozzarella pearls
Parmesan cheese, grated
Basil, fresh (torn or chiffonade)

Dressing

Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Garlic, minced
Italian Seasoning
Sweetener (Sugar or a 1:1 sugar substitute such as granulated monk fruit sweetener)
Kosher Salt
Pepper

How To Make

In a small bowl add olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, sweetener, salt, and pepper. Whisk together and set aside,

Layer kale, roasted bell pepper, artichoke hearts, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, pepperoncini, salami, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil in a large bowl.

Pour dressing over the salad and toss ingredients until coated.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for a few hours to blend flavors.

4 step by step mages of a colorful sald in a white bowl demonstrating how make antipasto salad. First step mix dressing. Second step make salad. Third step toss dressing and salad. Fourth step serve.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Italian antipasto salad is really a meal unto itself but if halved, or serving a crowd there are some really delicious things to serve it with!

Starter

Zucchini Carpacchio
Shrimp Dip

Main Dish

Dry Rub Grilled Chicken
Juicy Grilled Ribeye Steak or Herbed Butter Steak

Sides

Breadsticks, bread loaf, or rolls
Grilled vegetables such as zucchini, squash, or corn on the cob.

Dessert

These are all low carb, sugar-free recipes, but you can easily use regular sugar if you want!

Helpful Tips

Use a sturdy lettuce, not one prone to wilting. Romaine is a great option. Even though it's not lettuce, I used kale in this salad. If you are serving right away use romaine. If you want to make this salad ahead of time use kale. Kale lasts longer and can easily handle the dressing without wilting.
If you use kale, I found that tossing the salad with dressing and refrigerating for a bit allows the flavors to blend together perfectly! Kale is "stiffer" it can hold up to the heavy ingredients and the dressing without wilting! Perfect make-ahead salad!
Feel free to substitute any marinated vegetables, olives, cheeses, salami, fresh vegetables that you like. Make sure to balance marinated vegetables with fresh vegetables so the marinated tasted does not overpower the salad.
Because there is so much variation in seasoning and taste with marinated vegetables you may need to adjust your sweetener up or down. If the salad is too tangy, add sweetener to offset the tanginess. In addition, adjust a little at a time as it is always easy to add, but not so easy to take out! Is the Salad is too vinegary for your liking? Add a little sweetener or add more fresh vegetables.
If you're not following a low carb or keto diet, feel free to add 2 to 3 cups of pre-cooked (and cooled) tortellini.

Common Questions

Here are the most common questions we get about our Italian Antipasto Salad Recipe!

Can I make this with pasta and make it an antipasto pasta recipe?

Yes! For sure. I recommend that you add about 2 to 3 cups of al dente cook spiral pasta, tortellini, or other favorite pasta. Make sure to cool before adding. Also, you make need to make extra dressing or adjust your seasonings. Add enough dressing to coat, even if you don't use all the dressing (you can save some for a green salad later)

What does antipasto salad mean?

Antipasto is a traditional first course meal in Italy, which usually includes marinated vegetables, salami, cheese, olives, etc. This salad version is made using similar ingredients to the platter but the ingredients are chopped, mixed with lettuce, and tossed with dressing.

How can I lower the fat in this recipe?

You can substitute more of the marinated vegetables and reduce the amount of cheese and salami in this recipe. In addition, using leaner meat instead of salami, will lower the fat in this recipe too.

Can I use fresh herbs instead of dried Italian seasoning?

Yes! For every teaspoon of dried herbs the rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. While the recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of dried, so use approximately 3 tablespoons of fresh. Italian seasoning typically consists of rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, marjoram, and savory. To make it easy I just use 1 tablespoon each of 3 of those herbs (usually basil, thyme, oregano, or rosemary - cause I grow them in my garden).

Italian Antipasto Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

The perfect salad for a crowd. All your favorite antipasto ingredients but in a salad - kale, olives, artichokes, marinated vegetables, cucumber, tomato, salami, and cheeses, tossed with a tangy antipasto dressing. This antipasto salad is loaded with all the Italian flavors you love!