Antipasto Salad Recipe

Prepare produce and meats

Wash and dry the salad greens, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and basil/parsley. Halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the mushrooms and bell peppers, halve the olives, and thinly slice the red onion. Cube or slice the cheeses and dice the ham and salami as needed. Slice pepperoni into halves if using whole rounds.

Place the mixed salad greens in a large serving bowl or platter and arrange the pepperoni, salami, ham, cheese cubes, halved tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion, olives, and sliced bell peppers over the greens. Toss gently if you prefer the dressing distributed evenly; otherwise leave arranged for a composed antipasto presentation.

Make the dressing

In a small bowl or mason jar combine the red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, dried oregano, honey (if using), salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Whisk or shake to combine, then slowly stream in the extra-virgin olive oil while whisking to emulsify (or add oil to jar and shake vigorously until emulsified). Taste and adjust seasoning — add more salt, pepper or vinegar as desired.

If dressing is too sharp, add a touch more honey or a little more olive oil to mellow it.

Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad (start with about 3/4 of the dressing), then gently toss to coat all ingredients. Add more dressing to taste.

Sprinkle the chopped fresh basil or parsley and the grated Parmesan over the tossed salad. If you left the salad composed, scatter the garnish evenly across the top.

Serve immediately with crusty bread or breadsticks, or chill for up to 30 minutes before serving. Leftovers: store dressing separately and keep salad components refrigerated; combine just before eating to prevent sogginess.