Summer Picnic Salad: Italian Antipasto Salad

Here is an easy and tasty salad to bring to your picnic or barbecue this weekend.  I love antipasto and after nine months of not eating cold cuts or cured meats, I was very happy to make this salad.  I used salami and sopressata but feel free to use any combination of meats.  Also, the store was out of provolone so I used asiago.

I would suggest dressing the salad right before serving otherwise the tomatoes and lettuce will get a bit soggy.

Overall, it’s an easy salad to throw together that will be a crowd-pleaser.  Next time I might throw in some olives and use white beans instead of red kidney beans.

Italian Antipasto Salad
Giada de Laurentiis

  • 1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 head butter lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup rinsed canned red kidney beans, patted dry
  • 1 cup rinsed canned garbanzo beans, patted dry
  • 8 ounces salami, cubed
  • 6 ounces Provolone, cubed
  • 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and salt in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper, to taste.



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