Olga's Flavor Factory

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Ebook
  • Olga's Tips
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Ebook
  • Olga's Tips
  • olgasflavorfactory@gmail.com
  • //instagram.com/olgasflavorfactory
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Ebook
  • Olga's Tips
  • olgasflavorfactory@gmail.com
  • //instagram.com/olgasflavorfactory
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
×
Home » Recipe Index » On the Side » Salads

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Published: Dec 20, 2011 · Modified: May 5, 2019 by Olga · This post may contain affiliate links

Jump to Recipe

Pasta salad is a perfect addition to any party menu, summer lunch or a picnic in the park, not to mention packing it up to take to work or school. This variation is a combination of all the ingredients of a typical antipasto selection - salami, cheese, marinated mushrooms, banana peppers as well as broccoli, cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley and basil. The simple dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar highlights all the ingredients and makes it taste so flavorful. 

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta

1 broccoli crown, cut into florets

8 oz mushrooms

4 garlic cloves, 2 minced, for the mushrooms, 2 smashed for the vinaigrette

Olive oil; 1 ½ Tablespoons for the mushrooms and 2 Tablespoons for the vinaigrette

Red wine vinegar; ½ Tablespoon each, for the mushrooms and the vinaigrette

1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup salami, julienned

¼ cup banana peppers, sliced, plus ½ Tablespoon brine for the mushrooms and ½ Tablespoon for the vinaigrette

½ cup provolone or mozarella cheese, chopped into ½ inch cubes

1 Tablespoon fresh basil and parsley, each, finely chopped

Instructions: 

Cook pasta according to package instructions, cool and set aside. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and place in a skillet. Bring to a boil, add broccoli. Cover, reduce heat to med low and cook until broccoli is crisp tender and still a vibrant green, about 5 minutes. Place the broccoli in a bowl to cool.Meanwhile, quarter or halve the mushrooms, depending on the size.

Whisk together 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, ½ Tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ Tablespoon banana pepper brine and pour into skillet. Add mushrooms and 2 minced garlic cloves, season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown. The liquid will all evaporate and soak into the mushrooms, infusing them with SO much flavor. The mushrooms will turn golden brown. I got the idea for this from America's Test Kitchen. It's simply brilliant, marinating the mushrooms so that they're full of flavor and browning them for beautiful color and intensity of more flavor at the same time.  Whisk 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and ½ Tablespoon of red wine vinegar, ½ Tablespoon banana pepper brine and add 2 smashed garlic cloves. Allow to stand for about 15 minutes. Discard the garlic.

Steeping the garlic in the vinaigrette gives it some garlic flavor but you won't be punched in the face with garlic as you eat your salad.

You can also use your favorite Italian dressing instead of this vinaigrette.

Toss the pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, salami, tomatoes, cheese, peppers and basil with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and ground black pepper. You can eat it right away, but it only gets better the longer it stands, since all the flavors meld together.

Print

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 18 mins
  • Total Time: 38 mins
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Sides

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz pasta
  • 1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
  • 8 oz mushrooms
  • 4 garlic cloves, 2 minced, for the mushrooms, 2 smashed for the vinaigrette
  • Olive oil; 1 ½ Tablespoons for the mushrooms and 2 Tablespoons for the vinaigrette
  • Red wine vinegar; ½ Tablespoon each, for the mushrooms and the vinaigrette
  • 1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup salami, julienned
  • ¼ cup banana peppers, sliced, plus ½ Tablespoon brine for the mushrooms and ½ Tablespoon for the vinaigrette
  • ½ cup provolone or mozarella cheese, chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh basil and parsley, each, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, cool and set aside. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and place in a skillet. Bring to a boil, add broccoli. Cover, reduce heat to med low and cook until broccoli is crisp tender and still a vibrant green, about 5 minutes. Place the broccoli in a bowl to cool.Meanwhile, quarter or halve the mushrooms, depending on the size.
  2. Whisk together 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, ½ Tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ Tablespoon banana pepper brine and pour into skillet. Add mushrooms and 2 minced garlic cloves, season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown. The liquid will all evaporate and soak into the mushrooms, infusing them with SO much flavor. The mushrooms will turn golden brown. I got the idea for this from America's Test Kitchen. It's simply brilliant, marinating the mushrooms so that they're full of flavor and browning them for beautiful color and intensity of more flavor at the same time. Whisk 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and ½ Tablespoon of red wine vinegar, ½ Tablespoon banana pepper brine and add 2 smashed garlic cloves. Allow to stand for about 15 minutes. Discard the garlic.
  3. Steeping the garlic in the vinaigrette gives it some garlic flavor but you won't be punched in the face with garlic as you eat your salad.
  4. You can also use your favorite Italian dressing instead of this vinaigrette.
  5. Toss the pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, salami, tomatoes, cheese, peppers and basil with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and ground black pepper. You can eat it right away, but it only gets better the longer it stands, since all the flavors meld together.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

More Salads

  • Citrus Fruit Salad
  • Orange Salad
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad
  • Layered Tuna Salad (Mimosa Salad)

Comments

  1. Kim says

    January 16, 2022 at 2:01 pm

    I came across this recipe and my family just tried it for the first time and everyone loved it including my 4 and 7 year old who are usually picky with broccoli! It was a big hit and I will definitely be making it again. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes.

    Reply
    • olgak7 says

      February 02, 2022 at 10:19 pm

      I'm so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Kim. Thanks for taking the time to write.

      Reply
  2. Tatyana says

    December 11, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    I love this salad!!! Made it three times already for parties. Last night made a lot for today's husband's work party. Everyone loved it! My favorite part of this salad is marinating the mushroom when frying them. It gives them such an unusual but very appetizing flavor. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
    • olgak7 says

      December 11, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      That's my favorite part about the salad too, Tatyana:). I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to write.

      Reply
  3. svetlana says

    January 02, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    hi Olga! what is banana pepper?

    Reply
    • Olga K. says

      January 03, 2012 at 3:19 am

      It's a type of pepper that is sold in jars, usually next to the pickles. There are other types of peppers, pepperoncini peppers, etc. I personally like banana peppers best.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Olga in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hello. I’m Olga, the creator and photographer of the recipes that you see here. Welcome to my online kitchen, where I share step by step recipes and kitchen tips, to make homemade cooking easier, practical, and of course, more flavorful.

More about me

Get Weekly Menu Ideas, Recipes, Kitchen Hacks:

Join thousands of others to get my best cooking and meal prep tips plus handpicked seasonal menu ideas in your email.

Olga's Flavor Factory ebooks bundle
Olga's Ebooks
Olga's Flavor Factory family 2024
Life/Family

Popular

  • Honey Garlic Glazed Meatballs
  • Limoncello Cake
  • Easy Homemade Bread Recipe
  • Ultimate Steelhead Trout Recipe (VIDEO)

Seasonal

  • Healthy Cabbage Salad
  • Fish and Vegetables En Papillote (Fish in Parchment)
  • Borscht - Борщ
  • Orange Salad

Footer

↑ back to top

The Home Cook's Handbook

A Practical Kitchen Resource Guide

Learn more
Buy now

Get Weekly Menu Ideas, Recipes, Kitchen Hacks:

Join thousands of others to get my best cooking and meal prep tips plus handpicked seasonal menu ideas in your email.

About

  • About
  • Starting A Blog
  • FAQ
  • Olga’s Tips
  • Shop

Social Links

  • Instagram
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Olga's Flavor Factory