Italian-American · Lunch · All year
Antipasto Pasta Salad
4.6 · community
20m
Prep
12m
Cook
Easy
Level
420
Energy
The potluck powerhouse: fusilli with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, olives, and salami-adjacent bites in a red-wine oregano dressing — better after a night in the fridge.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
6
Before you start
Mise en place
Equipment
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Large bowl
Prep checklist
Artichoke Hearts — quartered
Roasted Red Peppers — sliced
Olives — mixed
Provolone — cubed
Sun-dried Tomatoes — slivered
3 steps
Method
1
Boil the fusilli fully (not al dente — cold pasta firms) and rinse briefly to stop the cooking.
11 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
The one time rinsing pasta is correct: salads. The starch that helps hot sauces cling makes cold pasta gummy.
2
Whisk the dressing; toss everything while the pasta is still warm.
3
Chill at least 2 hours; re-season COLD (chill mutes salt and acid) and add basil just before serving.
120 min — timer available in cooking mode
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate components separately up to 3 days; dress and assemble just before eating.
Freezing
Salads and sandwiches don't freeze; soups freeze beautifully for 3 months.
Reheating
Soups reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. Sandwiches and salads are best assembled fresh — store components separately.
Make ahead
Batch the components (proteins, dressings, grains) on Sunday; assemble in minutes all week.
Wine pairing
Something light and cold — a crisp white, a spritz, or iced tea.
Beer pairing
A crisp pilsner or wheat beer keeps lunch light.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
Kettle chips or a simple green salad
A cup of soup
Quick-pickled vegetables
Garnish
Flaky salt and cracked pepper
A drizzle of good olive oil
Fresh soft herbs
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
1
Salty
3
Sour
2
Bitter
1
Umami
3
Heat
0
Per serving
Nutrition
420
kcal
14g
protein
44g
carbs
22g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
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Your notes
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