Italian-American · Lunch · All year
Antipasto Pasta Salad
4.6 community
20m
Prep
12m
Cook
Easy
Level
420
kcal
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
400 g
🍝 Fusilli
200 g
🌿 Artichoke Hearts
quartered
150 g
🫑 Roasted Red Peppers
sliced
100 g
🫒 Olives
mixed
100 g
🧀 Provolone
cubed
80 g
🍅 Sun-dried Tomatoes
slivered
4 tbsp
🍷 Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp
🌿 Oregano
6 tbsp
🫒 Olive Oil
1 handful
🌿 Basil
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
20m
Prep
12m
Cook
32m
Total
6
Serves
Equipment
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Large bowl
Prep checklist
Artichoke Heartsquartered
Roasted Red Pepperssliced
Olivesmixed
Provolonecubed
Sun-dried Tomatoesslivered
3 steps
Method
1
Boil the fusilli fully (not al dente — cold pasta firms) and rinse briefly to stop the cooking.
💡
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.
Learn the technique ›
From the chef
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
Flavor profile
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Umami
Heat
Per serving
Nutrition
420
kcal
14g
protein
44g
carbs
22g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
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My notes
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