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4.95 from 19 votes

Rainbow Antipasto Pasta Salad

This Rainbow Antipasto Pasta Salad is the perfect way to use up leftover antipasto ingredients! Plus, it’s easy to make, tossed with a zesty Italian herb vinaigrette, and absolutely delicious!
Prep Time18 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: 4th of july, pasta, salad dressing
Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

Rainbow Antipasto Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 pound dry pasta (I used tri-color rotini)
  • 4-6 cups chopped antipasto ingredients (I used diced salami mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers. See below for more ideas.*)
  • 1 cup chopped fresh kale massaged**
  • quarter of a small red onion peeled and thinly-sliced
  • 1 batch Italian Herb Vinaigrette (see below)

Italian Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons McCormick Italian Blend Herb Grinder Italian seasoning or homemade
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

To Make The Antipasto Pasta Salad:

  • Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water al dente according to package directions.  Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, antipasto ingredients, kale, and onion.  Drizzle the Italian Herb Vinaigrette on top, then toss to combine.  Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To Make The Italian Herb Vinaigrette:

  • Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

Notes

*To soften the kale, I placed it in the mixing bowl first, along with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, and then used my hands to massage the vinaigrette into the kale for about 1 minute.  This makes it considerably softer, and will turn the kale a nice dark green color.
**The sky’s the limit for other antipasto ideas, but in general, I recommend using any combination of:
  • diced cheeses
  • Italian meats
  • olives
  • grilled, roasted, or marinated veggies
  • toasted nuts
  • diced cantaloupe, grapes, or figs (only if you like fruit mixed in)