Antipasto Salad with Easy Italian Dressing

Try this easy paleo antipasto salad recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. Start to finish it takes just a few minutes—including the simple homemade Italian dressing.

This is one of my favorite no-cook weeknight meals. A little slicing and a quick shake of the dressing ingredients, and dinner is ready. Antipasto salad is hearty and full of flavor—perfect when you don't want to turn on the stove.

What is antipasto salad? This salad has all of the flavors of traditional antipasto—Italian meats and marinated vegetables—on a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce all tossed with a flavorful antipasto dressing.

Here's what you'll need

This low carb antipasto salad recipe is very flexible. Use your favorite marinated vegetables and Italian meats to make this quick and easy gluten-free dinner.

I like to use prosciutto and Genoa salami or pepperoni. And at least three different vegetables. Just be sure to read the labels and look for meats that have clean ingredients. For this salad, I found a prosciutto with just pork and salt, and a pepperoni with just a few ingredients.

Look for authentic Proscuitto di Parma with the five-pointed Parma crown logo—it's made with no additives or preservatives, just sea salt, air and time.

Here are some ideas for different veggies to use:

• black olives or Kalamata olives
• green olives---I love Castelvetrano olives in this
• marinated artichoke hearts
• roasted red peppers
• cherry tomatoes
• red onion
• marinated mushrooms
• pepperoncini or banana peppers

Check the labels for your vegetables as well. The olives, artichokes, peppers, and other marinated vegetables should be packed in olive oil or vinegar with no additives.

Of course, you'll want to cut everything in bite-size pieces before adding the dressing. The homemade Italian dressing is super simple---just add extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper to a jar and shake.

While traditional Italian antipasto usually includes fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese, I leave out the cheeses to keep it dairy-free and paleo. There is so much flavor in the rest of the ingredients you don't miss it!

Ways to serve it

Of course, the easiest way to put it together is as a simple tossed salad. Just throw everything in the bowl, drizzle with dressing and mix it together. But don't stop there—here are some more creative ways to dress it up.

This salad is a real crowd pleaser. It works on a buffet, as a dish to pass, a side dish, or as an appetizer. To make an antipasto salad platter, layer the ingredients starting with a bed of romaine lettuce. Then arrange the meat and vegetables over the salad greens and drizzle with the dressing and a garnish of fresh basil.

Pro tip: To make it fancy, loosely roll strips of prosciutto into little rosettes before placing on the platter. 

You can put even stack a piece of meat, a few vegetables and a wedge of lettuce on a cocktail skewer to make an easy-to-eat hors d'oeuvre for a party. Serve the Italian dressing alongside as a dip, or drizzle it over the skewers.

Another easy variation is to swap out the lettuce for zucchini noodles. Just place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat with the zesty dressing for an antipasto pasta salad with zoodles.

Or serve it as the first course of an Italian meal with one of these low carb pasta recipes as the main course.

This easy antipasto salad is so versatile you'll want to keep the ingredients on hand so you can whip it up any time. It's a perfect keto, paleo, and Whole30 no-cook dinner!

More quick and easy salads

• Avocado Tuna Salad (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)
• Easy Avocado Caprese Salad (Dairy Free)
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon (Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free)
• Shrimp, Avocado, and Arugula Salad
• BLT Salad with Chipotle Dressing
• Chicken, Spinach, and Strawberry Salad