New Year promise : No more wimpy salads! All in?
I was obsessed with this chopped antipasto salad last week, and when I get obsessed with something, we make a huge batch of it and eat it for the whole week. This usually happens on my days off. All I do is cook on my weekends and even though it’s just the 2 of us, I manage to cook for 4-6 people. Which works out since we’ll eat it for lunch for the rest of the week. All those recipes I post that are enough for a family of 4?, Ya, turns into a weeks worth of leftovers.
The inspiration for this antipasto salad came from some leftover quinoa I had in the fridge. I originally planned to make a yad-yada healthy-ish quinoa salad with the usual suspects, but then in the crisper drawer of the fridge. I see the beloved…salami! And cheese, and a leftover head of radicchio..and then, the salad wheels start turning and churning and voila….antipasto salad!
These salty and briny ingredients are some of my favorite flavor profiles. Savory > sweet, any day! The bitter radicchio with peppery arugula pairs perfectly with salty salami and capers. I added roasted red peppers to help cut the saltiness and the quinoa helps soak up all the vinaigrette. Really, use whatever you have on hand like I did.
Chopped Antipasto Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 radicchio chopped
- 3 Tb capers
- 2 roasted bell peppers seeded and chopped
- 1 cup arugula chopped
- 3 oz salami chopped
- 3 oz gouda or provolone cheese chopped
- Vinaigrette:
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 Tb dijon mustard
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese few tablespoons
- 2 Tb balsamic vinagar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To make the salad, add all chopped vegetables and quinoa into a bowl and gently toss together.
- To make the vinaigrette, add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake well until combined. Pour about half of the dressing into the salad and mix to combine. Add more dressing if you prefer ot save the rest.
Amy @ Frugale.org says
January 24, 2016 at 11:28 amWe try to have an antipasto salad at least 4 times a week. Love it.
DolceSanDiego says
November 25, 2019 at 4:39 pmThis salad is outstanding and so beautiful. It’s worth all the prep and chopping. You can be creative and add what you have in the refrigerator or pantry; sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, pine nuts, chopped roasted asparagus. It’s already complicated with great flavors so don’t overdo with too many additional ingredients.
Samantha says
November 30, 2019 at 8:03 amI certainly agree…thank you for the suggestions!