Name: Antipasto Salad
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved; 1/2 pound mini mozzarella balls , drained and halved; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper; 1/4 cup prepared pesto; 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 package romaine hearts (3 heads) torn into bite-sized pieces (about 14 cups loosely packed); 1/2 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil; 8 thin slices prosciutto; 8 thin slices capicola or salami

Why This Recipe Works

An Italian meal often starts off with antipasti, a selection of meats, cheeses, and preserved or pickled vegetables. Why not combine a complementary selection from the antipasti spread into a main course salad? To do so, we prepared a vinaigrette by blending prepared pesto (or homemade if you have a favorite recipe) with red wine vinegar. We used full-flavored, crisp-textured romaine lettuce, as softer lettuces tend to collapse under the weight of the salad’s other ingredients. We also tossed lots of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces, into the Antipasto Salad.

Before You Begin

If you have homemade pesto on hand, by all means use it. Otherwise, store-bought pesto is fine for this recipe. We prefer the kind found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket (usually next to the fresh pasta).

Instructions

Toss tomatoes, mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon oil together in medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk pesto, vinegar, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil together in large bowl. Add romaine hearts and basil, toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper.

Divide salad among 4 plates and drape 2 slices of each meat over greens. Mound portion of tomato-mozzarella mixture on top. Serve.