Summer is slowly but surely on its way, people. So let’s celebrate with a fresh salad… which I managed to sneak bread into. This is an antipasti bread salad which is a scrumptious and savory warm weather recipe to impress your friends and family at your next picnic or barbecue!
You already have kickass recipes for vegan BBQ mains like burgers, so why not round out your side game with this dish. Plus I hear y’all LOVED the sheet pan series I did over on the YouTube channel so now I’ve got this and another BBQ side idea coming your way next week!
Antipasti is traditionally the first course of an Italian meal, and it often serves up ingredients like cured meats or anchovies. I’ll take a hard pass on those ones, thanks. Instead, this salad has hunks of toasted baguette that are nice ‘n’ crispy! Then they’re combined with ingredients like sundried tomatoes, olives, marinated artichokes, and roasted red peppers to soak up a ton of savory juices! Toss it all in a rich oil and vinegar based dressing and you’ve got yourself a freakin’ flava party for your tastebuds. You won’t even care about eating the mains at the BBQ table! Scroll down to see the magical recipe for this antipasti bread salad.
Looking for some other scrumptious salads to serve at your next BBQ or potluck? Check out these recipes on the blog:
antipasti bread salad
Toasted baguette soaks up all the savory flavors of rich ingredients like artichokes, sundried tomatoes and olives.
Ingredients
antipasti bread salad
- 6 C white or whole wheat baguette, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 1 to 2 baguettes depending on the size)
- 2 garlic bulbs
- 2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- pinch sea salt
- 1 C marinated button mushrooms
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 1/2 C roasted red peppers in a jar, sliced thinly + 2 tbsp brine (for dressing)
- 1/2 C sundried tomatoes, finely chopped (avoid using the sundried tomatoes packed in oil)
- 1 C marinated artichokes, sliced thinly
- 1 C sliced black olives
- 1 C red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 C tightly packed fresh basil leaves, whole
- 2 C tightly packed fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 6 to 8 whole pickled pepperoncini peppers
dressing
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 C red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp brine from roasted red peppers
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Roast garlic and toast bread at the same time.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the bulbs in half crosswise to expose the cloves. Coat the cloves with olive oil and sprinkle each half with a pinch of sea salt. Place all garlic sides in a small baking pan or on a small baking sheet cut side up. Place the baguette slices on the sheet pan and drizzle olive oil over the baguette slices.
- Bake the garlic cloves for 30 to 35 minutes until the cloves are brown and soft to the touch. But set a timer to bake the baguette slices for about 12 minutes or until golden brown, flipping them halfway through the baking time.
- Cool the baguette slices on a cooling rack. When the garlic is roasted, squeeze the cloves from the garlic peel into your large salad serving bowl and set aside. Discard the peel.
- To make the dressing, combine lemon juice, red wine vinegar, roasted red pepper brine, dijon mustard, red chili flakes, salt, ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil in a mason jar and shake until well emulsified or you can whisk together in a bowl.
- Into the large salad serving bowl, add marinated mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, sliced black olives, red onion, fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley and fresh oregano.
- Add the toasted baguette slices. Pour in the dressing. Toss the salad and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Top with whole pepperoncini peppers. The bread will continue to soak up the dressing and become more flavorful with time and is still suitable to serve up to 1 day.
Recipe Notes
If you can’t find marinated mushrooms in a jar, your grocery store may have an antipasti bar, where you can also get olives or marinated artichokes, or check the deli counter where you can buy marinated mushrooms by weight.
7 thoughts on “antipasti bread salad”
MY BODY DOESN’T TOLERATE OIL VERY WELL, BUT I STILL MADE THIS FOR OUR SUMMER PARTY AND I COULD NOT STOP EATING IT BECAUSE THIS WAS ADDICTING IT THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES LATER THAT NIGHT BUT I WILL BE NEEDING TO MAKE IT AGAIN WITH A FEW MODIFICATIONS. IT IS A 10/10
So so delicious and such an amazing crowd-pleaser. I made mine with sourdough baguette. Just thinking about it now is making me salivate. I’ll be making this for years and years to come!
O my God it looks so tasty. I love chickpeas but never tried with garlic couscous. Loads of love for this.
MY BODY DOESN’T TOLERATE OIL VERY WELL, BUT I STILL MADE THIS FOR OUR SUMMER PARTY AND I COULD NOT STOP EATING IT BECAUSE THIS WAS ADDICTING IT THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES LATER THAT NIGHT BUT I WILL BE NEEDING TO MAKE IT AGAIN WITH A FEW MODIFICATIONS. IT IS A 10/10MY BODY DOESN’T TOLERATE OIL VERY WELL, BUT I STILL MADE THIS FOR OUR SUMMER PARTY AND I COULD NOT STOP EATING IT BECAUSE THIS WAS ADDICTING IT THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES LATER THAT NIGHT BUT I WILL BE NEEDING TO MAKE IT AGAIN WITH A FEW MODIFICATIONS. IT IS A 10/10.
O my God it looks so tasty. I love chickpeas but never tried with garlic couscous. Loads of love for this.
So so delicious and such an amazing crowd-pleaser. I made mine with sourdough baguette. Just thinking about it now is making me salivate. I’ll be making this for years and years to come!
Where’s the recipe?