15 antipasto salad recipes

Antipasto pasta salad with rotini, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, Muenster cheese, mushrooms, red onion, and fresh basil in a low-fat Italian dressing. A cold make-ahead side for potlucks and picnics.

Make-ahead Italian pasta salad with rotini, crisp vegetables, and tangy garlic vinaigrette that gets better overnight for easy potluck and picnic perfection.

Antipasto pasta salad with salami, provolone, garbanzo beans, olives, and mushrooms in a lemon-garlic-basil dressing. A make-ahead party dish that gets better as it chills.

Vegetarian antipasto pasta salad with rotini, cauliflower, carrots, black olives, and a garlic cider vinegar dressing. Made overnight so the flavors develop fully.

Fresh Italian antipasto salad with marinated mushrooms and artichokes over crisp vegetables drizzled with balsamic herb dressing for a light, impressive no-cook meal.

Browned smoked turkey sausage over a bed of romaine with tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, olives, and crumbled feta, drizzled with Italian dressing. A hearty 15-minute salad.

This salad is pretty hardy, but to turn it into a main dish salad, just add pasta shells, bows, or tortellini.

Sweet sour pickled mushrooms in tarragon vinegar with garlic and a hit of hot sauce. No-cook overnight marinade for an easy antipasto, salad topper, or party appetizer.

Refrigerator pickled mushrooms: button caps simmered to firmness then jarred in a sweet-tart vinegar marinade with peppercorns and bay leaves. Eastern European style for canapes, salads, and antipasto.

Marinated mushroom salad with vinegar-poached mushrooms, blanched carrots, celery, and bell peppers dressed in oregano olive oil. A make-ahead antipasto-style cold salad.

Roasted eggplant and pepper salad with celery, garlic, black olives, red wine vinegar, and oregano. A make-ahead Italian antipasto served at room temperature.

Tofu antipasto salad with bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes in a balsamic-oregano marinade. A colorful vegetarian appetizer or side, no cooking required.

Italian balsamic chicken: grilled chicken breasts marinated in balsamic, olive oil, and herbs, then sliced into strips for salads, wraps, or antipasto boards. Meal-prep friendly protein with big flavor.

Roasted pepper salad with multicolored bell peppers in a balsamic vinaigrette spiked with anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, and shallots. A make-ahead antipasto that improves overnight.

Marinated mushrooms from Mollie Katzen: briefly simmered button mushrooms soaked in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and thyme. A make-ahead vegetarian antipasto or salad topper.