I try to eat salads for lunch pretty often, as they’re easy to bring to work and great to make ahead for the week. Salads are supposed to be healthy, but this antipasto salad, I fear, is too salty and meaty to be very healthy. However, it is reliably very delicious.
I love a good antipasto platter, and this salad takes all of my favorite ingredients from those platters and puts ’em in a salad.
This salad is a test of balance. The mellow spinach and mozzarella balance the spicy pepperoni, and the sweetness of the peppers – along with a little sugar in the dressing – help offset the acidity in the tomatoes, artichokes and olives. But you could throw in anything you fancy. Good additions or substitutions include:
- pepperoncinis
- marinated mushrooms
- black or kalamata olives
- feta
- Parmesan
- pepperjack
- provolone
- pickled asparagus
- chickpeas…
Basically, anything marinated or pickled will do! Just be wary of adding any salt, as cured meats and marinated veggies usually have plenty.
If you do get the chance to dig into this salad when you’re not at work, it goes reallll well with a crisp rosé.
Hungry for more not-quite-healthy salads? Try my Steak and Potatoes Salad or my Bacon Apple Kale Salad. Never eat a sad salad again!
Antipasto Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 10 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz ciliegine mozzarella (the little balls), halved
- 6 oz green olives, halved
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 12 oz marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- 8 oz roasted jarred bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 8 oz Italian dry salami or pepperoni, chopped
- 10 oz fresh spinach
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Mix everything but the spinach together in a large bowl.
- Whisk dressing ingredients until oil is emulsified. Pour over salad mixture and toss to incorporate.
- Serve salad on bed of spinach.