Antipasto Pasta Salad is the perfect summer pasta salad loaded with ingredients of an Italian antipasto platter and tossed in a homemade Italian vinaigrette. It’s the best Italian pasta salad that is easy to make and is completely customizable so you can add your favorite ingredients.

If you’re a fan of pasta salads, you might also like to try our recipes for pizza pasta salad, bacon ranch pasta salad and summer vegetable pasta salad.

antipasto pasta salad in bowl with spoon

What is Antipasto?

Antipasto is the traditional first course of an Italian meal, meant to stimulate the appetite before the main dishes. The name literally means “before the meal” (anti = before, pasto = meal). It typically includes a platter of cured meats, cheeses, marinated and roasted vegetables, breads, crackers and condiments.

We’re taken all of the delicious things that might be included in an antipasto platter and tossed them with cooked pasta and a simple red wine vinaigrette to create an antipasto pasta salad. This salad is a potluck favorite, and it can feed a crowd!

ingredients displayed for making antipasto pasta salad

Ingredients Needed:

Pasta: We’re using rotini pasta.
Veggies: Bell pepper, red onion, artichoke hearts and tomato.
Olives: We’re using pitted black olives.
Cured meats: We’re using salami and pepperoni.
Cheese: We’re using chunks of provolone cheese.
Flavor: Pepperoncini and fresh basil
Dressing: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion powder, Dijon mustard, honey and salt/pepper.

How to make Antipasto Pasta Salad:

The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Antipasto pasta salad is so incredibly easy to make. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a shaker jar. Place all of the ingredients for the salad in a bowl. Add the dressing, and toss. That’s it!

Recipe Tips:

Whole wheat pasta may be used.
Gluten free pasta may also be used.
Make sure the pasta is cooked to the “al dente” state. This means that it’s cooked until it’s firm to the bite, not mushy. When cooking, check for doneness early. Start tasting the pasta about 2 minutes earlier than the instructions given for fully cooked pasta.
The homemade vinaigrette creates the flavor for this delicious antipasto pasta salad, but you can use store-bought Italian vinaigrette too if there is a brand that you love.

Suggested Additions and Substitutions:

There are so many different kinds of pasta you can use. Elbow pasta, farfalle bow ties or seashells work well too.
Consider adding other cured meats too such as soppressata or prosciutto.
Change up the cheese. Try using fresh mozzarella pearls or diced Asiago cheese.
Use sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
More great additions: roasted red pepper, chickpeas, broccoli florets or carrots.
Swap out the red wine vinegar in the dressing and use balsamic vinegar instead.
Add red pepper flakes to the vinaigrette to add some spice to your salad.

serving of antipasto pasta salad in bowl

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions for Pasta Salad:

This recipe can be made ahead up to 24 hours. If making ahead (and not serving right away), I would make a little extra vinaigrette. Toss it with the full amount and refrigerate. The pasta tends to soak up the dressing (which is a good thing!) Then toss it with a little more vinaigrette just before serving so everything is nice and flavorful. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe:

It’s delicious served as a side dish, but it can be served as a main dish too (with a lot of cured meats added in!)
There is no cooking involved except cooking the pasta!
This antipasto pasta salad can feed a crowd, so it’s a great salad to serve at a BBQ, family gathering or potluck. It’s always a crowd favorite!