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Best Ever Antipasto Pasta Salad

A bright, simple salad that combines pasta, meats, cheese, and vegetables in a flavorful dressing. Great for picnics, potlucks, or quick meals.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta and Meats
  • 19 ounces frozen tortellini Cook according to package instructions.
  • 4 ounces Genoa salami, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
  • 4 ounces smoked turkey, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
  • 4 ounces honey baked ham, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
  • 4 ounces Asiago cheese, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes Can be swapped for other cheeses.
Vegetables and Seasonings
  • 8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 medium red onion, sliced thin
  • 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
  • 1/4 cup Manzanilla Spanish olives, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 strips roasted red pepper, finely minced
Dressing
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method
 

Prepare the Dressing
  1. In a large bowl combine dressing ingredients (garlic, roasted red pepper, minced onion, minced olives, Italian seasoning, black pepper, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, and olive oil). Whisk until well combined.
Cook the Pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Remove from heat and drain pasta.
  2. Pour tortellini into dressing and toss to combine.
Mix Ingredients
  1. While the pasta is cooking, cut deli meats and cheese into bite-size pieces. Reserve cheese until pasta is completely prepared.
  2. Add cut meat to tortellini and gently stir until well combined.
  3. Toss in tomatoes, onion, artichoke hearts, and olives. Add cheese and stir to combine.
Serve
  1. Refrigerate until ready to serve (up to overnight). Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

This salad stores well for 2 to 3 days and tastes better as it sits. Do not freeze the salad; instead, freeze meats and cheese separately if needed and add to freshly cooked pasta before serving.