Antipasto Salad with Panino is great on a hot summer night and sports Panino. With warm garlic bread, you will feel like you are in Italy.
This is one of those salads I don’t even have to tell you how to make. You can throw this together in a moment, with ingredients you already have in your refrigerator. But, what makes this salad a little different is the Panino.
Panino is a fun appetizer you can usually buy in the deli section of your supermarket. It’s mozzarella wrapped up in salami. I like using it for this salad because it looks good, it’s easy to eat, and it tastes good, too. If you cannot find it in your grocer’s deli section, then feel free to make your own using mozzarella sticks and salami.
Antipasto salad has a long history, first mentioned in medieval writing. I’m pretty sure it’s older than that. Maybe Cleopatra seduced Caesar with some Panino!
Ingredients to Use
I have included both mini bell peppers and pepperoncini. Pepperoncini are not very spicy and they go very well with the salami. Any heat they are will be absorbed by the mozzarella. However, if you or your guests are very sensitive to spice, you can omit the pepperoncini.
The cucumbers used here are Persian cucumbers. I prefer them because their skin is more edible, easier to digest, and crisper because they are not as full of water as their English cousins. You can find Persian cucumbers in the produce section of your supermarket.
Feel free to use grape or cherry tomatoes or even sliced Roma tomatoes depending on which tomatoes are in season. If you happen to have tomatoes growing in your garden for your antipasto, even better.
I recommend using Brown Derby Original salad dressing for this. Serve it with crusty garlic bread and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 head Lettuce, Romaine preferred
- 8 Panino, or 8 mozzarella sticks wrapped in salami
- 1 Bell pepper, sliced
- 2 Cucumber, Persian, peeled
- 2 Tomatoes, sliced
- 1 Red onion, thinly sliced
- 6 Mushroom, sliced
- 4 Pepperoncini
- 1 Avocado, cubed
- ¼ cup Parmesan
- Brown Derby Salad Dressing
Instructions
- 1 head LettuceTear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. If you prefer, you can chop the lettuce instead.
- 1 Bell pepperIf you are using mini bell peppers, slice them. If you are using regular bell peppers, then chop them into bite size pieces.
- 8 PaninoPut the lettuce on a platter. Put the Panino with the ends pointing to the middle of the plate, rather like the hands of a clock. Try to space them out evenly.
- 2 Cucumber, 2 Tomatoes, 1 Red onion, 6 Mushroom, 4 PepperonciniArrange the peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion mushroom slices, and pepperoncini nicely over the lettuce.
- 1 Avocado, 1/4 cup ParmesanPut the avocado on top then sprinkle the cheese over all.
- Brown Derby Salad DressingPresent the salad, then toss with the Brown Derby Original Dressing
