Antipasto Pasta Salad

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The Classic Italian Antipasto pasta platter is turned into a perfect Antipasto pasta salad with chunks of pepperoni, pepperoncini peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and blue cheese crumbles!

Summer pairs perfectly with so many things including pasta salads! We have so many favorites around here including the ever classic Easy Macaroni Salad or this Hawaiian Macaroni Salad. One of our recent favorites is this Antipasto Pasta Salad inspired by a traditional antipasto salad which features chunks of cucumber, tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, and bits of salami and pepperoni.

antipasto pasta salad

This Antipasto Pasta Salad with its robust ingredients is filling enough for a light summer supper, but also works great as a side dish. Let’s talk about the ingredients that you’ll need to make this perfect summer side dish.

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Antipasto Pasta Salad Ingredients

There are two components to this recipe. First is the ingredients for the pasta salad itself. The second component is the dressing ingredients.

You’ll need:

  • Cucumber – about ½ of an average cucumber, diced
  • Grape or cherry tomatoes- if they are large, cut them in half
  • Pepperoncini peppers – make sure to remove the stems, them chop them up into bite sized pieces
  • Purple Onion – you’ll need about ¼ of a small purple onion, chopped
  • Salami – about ½ pound of salami cut into chunks
  • Pepperoni – about ½ pound, cut into bite sized pieces
  • Blue Cheese – if you do not like blue cheese you could substitute gorgonzola cheese or even provolone cheese
  • Capanelle Pasta – substitute any pasta that you like. Rotini would be a great option

Another delicious option would be to toss in some black olives which you’ll often find in a traditional antipasto salad.

Recipe Tip

  • Because I wanted bite sized chunks of salami , I went to the deli at my grocery store and just asked for a 1/2 pound chunk of salami. Then I was able to cut it up into perfect bite-sized pieces once I got home. If your deli offers this option for the pepperoni, go ahead and take that route. My deli only had pre-sliced pepperoni available so that’s what I used.
  • Pepperoncini peppers are typically found in the same aisle as the pickles, by the roasted red peppers and other pickled vegetables.
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Antipasto Pasta Salad Dressing Ingredients

The dressing for this Antipasto Pasta Salad is pretty simple. You’ll need:

  • Pepperoncini Pepper Juice – about 2 tablespoons from the jar
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – 8 tablespoons
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 6 tablespoons. You could also use Avocado Oil or any other oil you prefer
  • Mayo – 4 tablespoons
  • Garlic powder, salt, black pepper and red pepper flake
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I love that this particular pasta salad is light on the mayo. Some of my favorite pasta salads like this Easy Ranch Pasta Salad, have quite a bit of mayo. While I truly enjoy the ranch pasta salad, sometimes it’s nice to have options that are light on the mayo too!

Here’s a close-up of this mouth-watering Antipasto Pasta Salad. Looks yum, doesn’t it?

Antipasto pasta salad 6

Choose any pasta you’d like. I went with campanelle pasta, simply because it looks awesome, but you can use any pasta you have on hand. You’ll need about a pound of pasta. And because it calls for a whole pound, it’ll serve a crowd! 

Hopefully you’ve got some summer BBQ’s planned so that you can enjoy this robust Antipasto Pasta Salad!

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5 from 1 vote

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

Pasta Salad Ingredients

  • ½ cucumber, diced
  • 6 ounces grape tomatoes, chopped
  • 6 ounces pepperoncini peppers, stems removed, chopped
  • ¼ cup purple onion, chopped
  • ½ pound salami, cut into bite sized pieces
  • ½ pound pepperoni, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 6 ounces blue cheese crumbles
  • 1 pound capanelle pasta, cooked according to package directions

Dressing Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons pepperoncini pepper juice (from jar)
  • 8 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, divided
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons mayo
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flake

Instructions 

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. 
  • While the pasta is cooking, whisk together 2 tablespoons juice from pepperoncini peppers, 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons mayo, 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flake, set aside.
  • When the pasta is cooked and drained, toss it with the 3 remaining tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.  Arrange the pasta on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the pasta in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool.
  • When the pasta is cool, toss it together with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, diced onion, salami, pepperoni, and blue cheese crumbles.
  • Pour the dressing in and toss to coat. Cover the pasta salad and chill for about 45 minutes before serving.
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Antipasto pasta salad

Hi, I’m Ashley & I’m so happy you’re here!

Ashley is the founder of CenterCutCook and a former teacher that now spends her days in the kitchen so that she can share her favorite recipes with you!