Veggie Antipasti Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Italian cuisine is known for full bodied Mediterranean flavors, and fresh ingredients. Whether it's minestrone soup, Italian salads, pasta, or pizza, most people are fans of Italian dishes, and eat them on a regular basis. Today, we bring you a recipe for a veggie antipasti Italian pasta salad that is sure to become one of your favorite quick meals. 

This recipe is brought to us by wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn who says, "This quick pasta salad is not only delicious, but healthy and light as well. [The] combination [of] tomato and basil [is] always a hit, but adding artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and 2 types of olives takes this one over the top. The zesty lemon dressing is not heavy, nor laden with too much oil, and adds to the intense flavor profile." You can serve this on its own for a complete meal, or pair it with tomato soup or some Mediterranean grilled chicken.

To make this recipe, you'll need some fresh items from the produce department. Grab a red onion, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and a lemon. Then, you'll need some rotelli or rotini pasta, Kalamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and pepperoncinis from the dry goods area. You'll need fresh mozzarella balls, and then some basics for the dressing— olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. If you prefer a meatier salad, feel free to add in some salami, or pepperoni as well.

The first step is to get your pasta cooking according to the package instructions. While that is cooking, slice the red onion, and basil. Cut the tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and green olives in half. For the artichoke hearts and hearts of palm, Hahn says, "You can buy both of these already chopped to save time, but if you have the versions that are whole, give them a quick chop. Also, some mozzarella balls are already cut to bite-size [pieces] and some are larger, so trim those down accordingly."

Grab a small bowl, and add in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Crush the garlic using a garlic press, and add that in also. Whisk the dressing to combine everything, and get ready to assemble this masterpiece. 

Add the cooked pasta, red onion, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, green olives, basil, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, mozzarella, and drained pepperoncinis to a large salad bowl. Add the dressing, and toss everything together. This fabulous veggie antipasti is ready to serve — not bad for an under 30-minute meal. We hope this recipe will be added to your regular meal rotation.