Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe
This Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe is a favorite side dish I love to make for dinner guests, and this salad is always a hit! And I think Antipasto Salad is perfect any time of year; you can vary the ingredients based on what’s in the fridge!
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This favorite Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe the kind of salad you might order in an Italian restaurant! And it’s loaded with tasty ingredients like olives, hearts of palm, pepperoni, marinated Peperoncini, slices of Mozzarella and capers. Recently I decided this recipe needed a photo makeover, and I hope the new photos will entice you to try it.
Maybe some people might look at this Antipasto Salad Recipe and worry it will take too long to chop up all those ingredients. But truthfully, interesting salads like this can be easy to pull together once you master some tricks for satisfying salads. Don’t miss my tips in this post for prepping ingredients and creating restaurant-quality salads at home! And if you like these ingredients I hope you try the Antipasto Salad soon!
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What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe with ingredient amounts. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- chopped romaine lettuce
- black olives
- pepperoni
- Hearts of Palm (affiliate link)
- Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link)
- string cheese
- Capers (affiliate link)
- Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) or use your favorite garlicky Italian dressing, and see below for the dressing I love if you don’t mind spending a bit more.
What does Antipasto mean?
The word Antipasto refers to the first course of an Italian meal and acording to Wikipedia it includes things like “cured meats, olives, Peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses, and pickled meats or vegetables in oil or vinegar.”
Do you need all these Antipasto ingredients to make a good salad?
This is one of those recipes with endless variations. I think any combination of the ingredients I used will make a tasty salad, even if you don’t use every ingredient I listed. And I’m also sharing some ideas for other flavorful add-ins if you happen to have those on hand, so adapt this recipe to your own taste and what’s in the fridge.
How low in carbs is the Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe?
If you follow the basic recipe given here, this salad has about 10 net carbs and 15 grams of protein in each large salad.
What else could you add to the Chopped Antipasto Salad?
There are lots of other antipasto ingredients you can add to this salad including marinated mushrooms (affiliate link), artichoke hearts (affiliate link), chopped salami or prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers in a jar (affiliate link), cherry tomatoes, red or green onion, pickled asparagus, pickled green beans, fresh Mozzarella balls, and green olives. What else can you think of?
Tips for Making Satisfying Salads at Home:
- Prepare lettuce that’s chopped or torn, washed, and ready to eat and keep in the fridge. You can even seal prepped lettuce in jars with a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer (affiliate link) but I just keep it in a plastic container with a snap-tight lid.
- Whenever I’m prepping lettuce for any reason, I try to do enough for several salads so that I’ll always have prepared lettuce in the fridge.
- For a satisfying salad it’s important to have a dressing that’s really flavorful, and tasty dressings with healthy oils like olive oil and not much sugar are abundant if you check the label.
- For my antipasto salads, I sometimes buy Columbia Restaurant 1905 Dressing (affiliate link) that’s used on one of my all-time favorite restaurant salads, but that dressing is definitely a budget splurge and Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) is the low-sugar dressing I use most.
- Another tip for making satisfying salads is to prep generous amounts of all the special ingredients, so it’s easy to just pull prepared ingredients out of the fridge and throw together a salad. All the things I use in this salad will last in the fridge for more than a week. And I can eat this type of salad over and over without getting tired of it.
- Even if you only use a few of the things I did, a salad with any type of antipasto ingredients will always be tasty!
Prepping and assembling the Antipasto Salad Recipe:
- Start by tearing apart lettuce and crisping it in ice-cold water in the salad spinner (affiliate link).
- Drain olives and cut olives in half. (I used regular black olives, but use the olives you prefer).)
- Chop up a generous amount of pepperoni or salami. (Use turkey or regular pepperoni, your choice.)
- I love Hearts of Palm (affiliate link) in my salad. Drain and cut in half if they’re extra big.
- I always have jars of Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link) in the fridge, and Peperoncini adds a lot of flavor.
- I use string cheese sliced into little rounds for the cheese.
- One ingredient I’d never skip in a salad like this is Capers (affiliate link).
- This is the Columbia Restaurant 1905 Dressing (affiliate link) I love to use when I make this for dinner guests, but use any garlicky Italian dressing.
- When you’re ready to assemble the salad, spin the lettuce until it’s very dry and put into a large bowl. (If you don’t have a salad spinner, crisp salad in ice-cold water, drain dry, and dry the lettuce with paper towels.)
- Toss lettuce with salad dressing.
- Then add the olives, pepperoni, hearts of palm, peperoncini peppers, Mozzarella cheese, and capers (or any other ingredients you’re using).
- Toss again until all ingredients are well-coated with dressing.
- I like to add a generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper to the Chopped Antipasto Salad, then serve right away
Weekend Food Prep:
This Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe
This Antipasto Salad Recipe is a side-dish salad I love to make for dinner guests, and this type of salad with your favorite Antipasto ingredients is always going to be a hit!
Ingredients
- 3 heads romaine lettuce
- 6 oz. can black olives
- 3 oz. sliced pepperoni
- 14 oz. can hearts of palm
- 3 T chopped peperoncini peppers
- 6 string cheese, sliced
- 3 T capers
- 1/3 cup garlicky Italian salad dressing (see notes)
Instructions
- Tear or chop romaine lettuce, then crisp in ice cold water in a salad spinner while you prep other ingredients. (Crisp lettuce in a bowl, drain, and dry with paper towels if you don't have a salad spinner.)
- Drain black olives and cut in half.
- Slice pepperoni in half.
- Drain hearts of palm, slice, and cut larger slices in half.
- Chop up sliced peperoncini peppers. (If you don't have sliced peppers, cut off ends of peppers, drain, remove seeds, and then chop.)
- Sliced Mozzarella sticks into rounds.
- Measure out capers.
- Drain lettuce and spin until it's very dry. Put in large mixing bowl.
- Add salad dressing and toss until the lettuce is well-coated with dressing.
- Add other ingredients as desired and toss again.
- Season the Chopped Antipasto Salad with a generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper and serve in large salad bowl or on individual serving plates.
Notes
I love Columbia Restaurant 1905 Salad Dressing for this recipe, but if that's too much of a budget splurge, Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing will also be very good!
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 299Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 36mgSodium 1195mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 9.5gSugar 6gProtein 15g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The Chopped Antipasto Salad is suitable for any low-carb or Keto diet, although some ingredients might be a bit high in carbs for Keto. With the right choices on ingredients it could be adapted for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for a chopped salad recipe with Antipasto ingredients was first posted in 2012. It was updated with better photos in 2024 and was last updated with more information in 2025.
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23 Comments on “Chopped Antipasto Salad Recipe”
If you like the Columbia Restaurant 1905 Salad Dressing but find it a ‘budget-buster’, the restaurant chain has published its ‘1905’ dressing recipe on its website.
www.columbiarestaurant.com/1905-salad
Thanks for sharing that; I will have to try making it.
Forgot to say. I couldn't find marinated mushrooms that were reasonable in price or volume, so I bought a jar of non-marinated mushrooms, emptied the liquid and refilled it with Kraft Zesty Italian and let them soak for a day. Perfect and very reasonable cost.
Good idea!
Took this salad to a potluck/domino party and it went way faster than the main entree – lots of compliments! I used a TJ turkey summer sausage I had on hand, and Wishbone Ristorante Italian Signature Dressing. Added some of the optional ingredients you listed as well. What a great main entree salad! Thanks so much.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Made this as a side for a birthday dinner and it was well received. Got several complements about the salad. I featured the recipe on my blog where I write about trying out ideas I find on Pinterest. Check it out! https://iampinderella.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/antipasto-salad/
Glad to hear the salad was a hit!
Thanks CJ!
Lori, your salad sounds good. I wish Salt Lake had Trader Joe's!
This has inspired me to prepare a big salad for lunch tomorrow — I added deli turkey, black olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm and shredded swiss chese (from Trader Joe's — all their cheeses are so good). Thanks!
Oh my. You must know how I love a chopped salad. A little bit of everything in each bite. Perfection. This one looks especially good.
Instead of lamenting carb depravation I can sing the joys of flavor and satisfaction. Kalyn- You did it again!
Yes they're from Costco.
Kalyn did you find the marinated mushrooms at Costco as well?
What a lovely looking salad, Kalyn! I have never even tried marinated mushrooms… they kind of scare me!
One of Josh's favorite salads. I better make it for him:)
Cheryl, so glad it's helpful!
Thanks for such an inspiring post, Kalyn! I've resolved to eat more salads in 2012 and this sure is a winner. I think I could eat it every single day.
Kelley, we were writing comments at the same time! I adore hearts of palm, and for dieting they are such a win. (String cheese is kind of a food group at my house too!)
Heidi, we should try Cinegrill sometime (although I admit I love their salad but I'm not crazy about their pasta dishes.)
Joanne, I love all those ingredients!
Lydia, chicken would be great in this too.
I, too, love hearts of palm. I agree that having greens washed and chopped ready to go make salad eating so much easier. This salad looks great. Great idea for chopped string cheese. We buy it in bulk from Costco as I have two boys that think string cheese is a food group. 🙂
I can just imagine the amount of flavor packed into this salad! I'd probably substitute some chopped rotisserie chicken for the pepperoni; I like to buy a chicken every week, chop up all of the meat to use for salads, and make soup stock with the rest.
All of those salty delicious antipasto treats make for some great salad mix-ins! Definitely a great way to keep a salad interesting!
Oh my laws! You have two of my favorite ingredients, pepperocini and hearts of palm. Oh and capers and olives. Okay its all good. I still haven't made it to Cinegrill, guess I'll have to give it a try for lunch. (hint, hint)