What’s YOUR Go-To Salad? Jessi’s All-Time Favorite Antipasto!

We’re moving right along on the “Go-To-Salad” Train, and this recipe book is really coming along! An Italian spin on a classic salad? Why, yes please! This salad is great to pre-make and take for a dinner party, serve as an appetizer before an Italian feast, or bulk it up and serve as a meal in itself! Read on for the low-down on creating my very favorite salad. I literally order it EVERYWHERE I CAN…and if I can’t go out and get it, I’ll make it at home. We’re absolutely loving salad week, and seriously this one is the BEST. 😉

The first time I ever tried an antipasto salad was the 2nd day of my first job in Los Angeles. Someone ordered for the office, as they often did…and being the new girl…wanted to pick something light, not overly pricey, etc to make a good impression. There was a terrific restaurant attached to the building I worked in and when they delivered this salad…I was delighted. It boasted fresh lettuces, roma tomatoes, black olives, red onion, provolone cheese, fresh deli salami, mortadella, and pepperoncinis. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

Since that day, if there is an antipasto salad to be ordered on any menu in any city…it’s got my name all over it. I realized how pricey it could get in LA ordering these Italian beauties from every restaurant I found them available at…so I started making them at home. Some were really complicated, with lots of ingredients, others…more simple. To make this Italian beauty for 4 people, follow along:

– Fresh Greens (about 6 cups or 1.5 bags from the market)
–  2 Diced (big pieces) Roma Tomatoes
– 3/4 cup or about 8 ounces Provolone Cheese (cubed)
– 3/4 cup  or about 8 ounces of Fresh Salami (Cut into Strips)
– 3/4 cup Black Olives (Sliced)
– 1/2 Pepperoncinis (Sliced into rings)

Chop up or dice each ingredient as directed, and toss them gently with the lettuce.  I will usually use a light basalmic dressing, or sometimes no dressing at all! It’s a very flavorful salad, and if you’re watching your fat/calories…you can skip the dressing and it’s just fine. You can also use Walden Farms Zero-Calorie  Italian Dressing which we really dig around here at 3P!

I hope you’ll make this salad for your next Italian themed party or meal, your guests will be sure to love it! One of my best friends became a BIG fan of these salads when I started making them at home, and I’d love to know how your friends and family feel about yours! But the question of the week is: What is YOUR go-to Salad? We’re getting submissions left and right, and our recipe collection is growing by the hour! 😉 We can’t wait to feature all of these crisp and delicious recipes from our readers in our virtual recipe book!