This delicious Antipasto Salad recipe is brought to you by Fiesta Brand Seasonings!
Antipasto Salad is a fun and flavorful mix of all my favorite Italian flavors! Tangy, bright and amazingly delish, this low carb and keto salad recipe is a must have in your summer recipe collection!
I’m a HUGE fan of Italian flavors but after going keto, I had to find a new way to enjoy some of my favorites! This keto salad is full of all my favorite Italian flavors… it’s like wood fired pizza and Italian sub had a tasty baby! The rich flavorful meats combined with tangy, smoky cauliflower, sweet roasted peppers, pickled pepperoncini and salty olives in a swoon worthy combination…trust me here!
What is an antipasto salad?
Think about all the yummy meats, cheese, and veggies that you find on a traditional antipasto platter like salami, pepperoni, marinated veggies and of course cheese! A great antipasto platter is balanced where the tanginess of those marinated and pickled veggies cut right through the fattiness of the meats and cheese. This salad takes all the components of a great antipasto platter and combines it all into a marinated keto friendly salad!
Grilled Cauliflower is the key!
I know…cauliflower. It seems to be in everything keto right? But it really does belong in this antipasto salad! First of all, the grilled cauliflower adds a hint of smokiness that’s perfect with the flavors in this salad…think wood fired pizza. Now, the cauliflower in this keto salad recipe is a nod to the traditional Italian giardiniera that you would find on a great antipasto or even Italian sandwich! Giardiniera is basically Italian pickled veggies and guess what veggie of found often in this condiment…yep cauliflower! The grilled cauliflower in this antipasto salad soaks up with tangy dressing and helps cut through the meat while adding great texture to the salad. Trust me here the cauliflower is so freaking good in this salad!!
You want to use great, fresh quality ingredients in this salad. I like to buy my pepperoni from the deli and have it sliced extra thick so I can easily dice it up. Use your favorite Italian dry salami, I purchased a link of a dry Italian sausage that I like and diced it up. I love using fresh roasted red peppers in this recipe but you can also used jarred if that what you have on hand! If you want to make your own roasted peppers, check out my tutorial here. Also, if your not a fan of mozzarella you could also use diced provolone!
Dairy free? Simply leave out the cheese!
Antipasto Salad Dressing
The tangy vinaigrette for this keto salad recipe is so simple! A mixture of red wine vinegar, olive or avocado oil, some dried mustard, a garlic clove and some Italian herbs! To keep this super simple, I used Fiesta Brand Seasonings Zesty Italian Delight Seasoning. This versatile seasoning has no salt or MSG and adds great Italian flavor to the dressing without having to have a ton of different herbs on hand! Anywhere I want an Italian flare, I use this seasoning blend!
This recipe makes about a cup of dressing, which leaves some extra for dressing the salad again before serving or to use for dressing your dinner salad!
Perfect for summer entertaining, this bright and tangy Antipasto Salad will not disappoint. Great for outdoor entertaining and ideal served at room temperature!
Looking for more keot friendly summer sides? Check these out!
- Southern Style Coleslaw
- GG’s Oil & Vinegar Slaw
- Marinated Artichoke Salad
- Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Mexican Street Style Grilled Cauliflower
Antipasto Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into small florets (2-3 pounds)
- ¼ cup oilve or avocado oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 4 oz. Italian dry salami diced
- 4 oz. pepperoni diced
- ¼ cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
- 1/3 cup julienned roasted red pepper about one pepper (Find out how to roast your own here)
- 1 6 oz. can medium black olives
- ¼ medium red onion sliced
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls or diced fresh mozzarella
For the dressing:
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup olive or avocado oil
- 1 tsp. dried mustard
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¾ tsp. Fiesta Brand Zesty Italian Delight Seasoning or Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp. Lakanto Granulated Sweetener
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
Garnish: Shaved Parmesan, Chopped Basil
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing into a one pint mason jar and shake to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat your grill to 350-375 degrees. Place the cauliflower florets into a disposable 9×13 pan and toss with 1/4 cup oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Place the pan on the grill and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are looking for the cauliflower to be tender but still have bite to it. Once the cauliflower is done remove from the grill and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, combine the diced salami, pepperoni, and the next 4 ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add in the cooled grilled cauliflower and ½ of the prepared dressing and toss to combine. Add the mozzarella and gently toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. When ready to serve, let the salad sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving and redress with additional vinaigrette.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are approximate and will vary depending on the ingredients used. Carbs from sugar alcohols have been excluded since they have shown to have no impact on blood sugar.
This sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to try it. My family gets so tired of wraps/sandwiches over the summer.