This quick antipasto pasta salad is a great addition to your grilling nights. It has all the flavors of freshness you are looking for. With smoked salmon, salami, fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella and dressed with a delicious champagne vinaigrette. The best part about this salad is that the meat and toppings are interchangeable just like a charcuterie board. You don’t have to stick to the same old thing all the time.
A GREAT COMBINATION OF FLAVORS
When the weather outside is blazing I’m always down for a cooling salad with dinner or AS dinner. Adding this quick dish to your menu will make your life a breeze. Especially since you don’t have to make anything from scratch. You might also get to utilize some of those fresh vegetables from the garden.
BEST PASTA STYLES FOR ANTIPASTO SALAD
–Orzo; A shortcut of pasta shaped like a grain of rice. Quick to cook, easy to eat.
–Rainbow Ratoni; Spiral shaped pasta, great for catching dressing in pasta salad.
–Elbow macaroni; Shaped like narrow tubes and cut short. Also great for catching dressing.
–Farfalle; Pasta that is shaped into a bow tie. Has a great shape and bite to it.
KEY INGREDIENTS A ANITPASTO PASTA SALAD
-Orzo pasta; I like the size of this pasta for this salad
–Marinated mini mozzarella balls; You can use plain if you cannot find marinated.
–Prepackaged smoked salmon; Sliced thin. Try different flavors for your dish.
-Sliced salami; Pre-sliced is the quickest option.
–Ripe roma or heirloom tomatoes; I sometimes like to use a variety of colors.
–Champagne vinaigrette; Girads’s is my favorite to use.
–Salt & pepper for seasoning
QUICK STEPS FOR ANITPASTO SALAD
- Cook 8oz. of orzo pasta, according to the instructions on packaging.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and run cool water over pasta for 2-3 minutes.
- Place your cooked orzo in a bowl. Add your champagne vinaigrette, cucumber, and carrots to your pasta. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Place pasta into the refrigerator to chill.
- While your pasta chills, prepare your toppings.
- Roll and slice your smoked salmon, salami, basil and dice your tomatoes.
- Take your bowl of pasta out of the refrigerator and add your salmon, salami, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Layer them in rows on top of the pasta salad.
- Chill your antipasto pasta salad until you are ready to enjoy it.
*Add more vinaigrette dressing as needed. *Switch up your toppings. This salad is also great with prosciutto, feta cheese, and olives.
OTHER DISHES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
- Vegetable and Sausage Bow Tie Pasta
- Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Caprese Salad with Procuitto
- Smoked Salmon and Caper Chips
- Garlic Ranch Chicken Thighs
Quick Antipasto Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Bowl
- Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Orzo pasta cooked
- 12 oz. Pkg Pre-Marinated mini mozzarella balls
- 8.1 oz Prepackaged smoked salmon; sliced and any flavor
- 12 oz Sliced salami
- 8 Fresh basil leaves
- 4 Ripe Roma or heirloom tomatoes
- ½ c. Champagne vinaigrette
- 1 Cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 Carrot peeled and diced
- Salt & pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Cook 8oz. of orzo pasta, according to the instructions on packaging.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and run cool water over your cooked pasta for 2-3 minutes.
- Place your cooked orzo in a bowl. Add your champagne vinaigrette, cucumber, and carrots to your pasta. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Place pasta into the refrigerator to chill.
- While your pasta chills, prepare your toppings.
- Roll and slice your smoked salmon, salami, basil and dice your tomatoes.
- Take your bowl of pasta out of the refrigerator and add your salmon, salami, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Layer them in rows on top of the pasta salad.
- Chill your antipasto pasta salad until you are ready to enjoy it.
Notes
*Switch up your toppings. This salad is also great with prosciutto, feta cheese, and olives.
This salad is all I need when I need a break from cooking. It’s the ultimate comfort food!
My whole family loved this antipasto salad, thank you very much!
How pretty is this salad! It’s tasty, too, and it all got gobbled up at the party!
I love pasta salad and this was so delicious! I’m going to be making this all summer long!
I made this for lunch when some girlfriends came over. So easy and so delicious! Left off the salami as one is a vegetarian and added some artichoke hearts.
Perfect!
Great salad, I left out the orzo and it was perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
This made for a beautiful packed lunch for me. great balance of ingredients and flavors.
I love antipasto salad! This one is so easy and so flavorful.
This was simply stunning, and so delicious to boot! The star of the table when I set it out, I almost didn’t want to mix everything together as it looked so pretty! This will be happening again and again when entertaining
This was a great salad. I like that it’s versatile also, and simple to make.