Description
These Easy Antipasto Skewers are a vibrant and delicious appetizer, perfect for parties or casual gatherings. Featuring a colorful combination of salami, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, cheese tortellini, green olives, and mozzarella pearls, all dressed with zesty Italian dressing, these skewers are as flavorful as they are visually appealing. Quick to assemble and bursting with classic Italian antipasto flavors, they offer a crowd-pleasing starter that’s easy to prepare ahead of time.
Ingredients
Scale
Meats
- 1 pound Salami slices
Produce
- 1 pound Cherry tomatoes, rinsed
- 2 packages fresh basil
Dairy
- 2 packages Mozzarella cheese pearls
- 1 bag cheese tortellini (cooked according to package directions)
Pantry
- 1 bottle green olives
- 1 bottle Zesty Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook the Tortellini: Prepare the cheese tortellini according to the package instructions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare the Cherry Tomatoes: Rinse the cherry tomatoes thoroughly and dry them gently using paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Dress the Tortellini: Place the cooled tortellini into a resealable plastic bag. Pour about half the bottle of zesty Italian dressing over the tortellini, seal the bag, and shake gently to coat the pasta evenly with the dressing.
- Assemble the Skewers: Thread skewers alternately with green olives, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, dressed tortellini, salami slices, mozzarella pearls, salami again, basil, more tortellini, basil, another cherry tomato, and finish with an olive. This layering provides a colorful and balanced bite of all ingredients.
- Finish and Serve: Arrange the completed skewers on a serving plate or platter. Using a brush, lightly coat the assembled skewers with the remaining Italian dressing to enhance flavor.
- Refrigerate and Enjoy: Keep the assembled skewers refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve chilled and enjoy this easy and refreshing antipasto appetizer.
Notes
- Ensure the tortellini is fully cooled before assembling to prevent wilting the fresh basil.
- Feel free to customize with other antipasto favorites like pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, or roasted red peppers.
- Use wooden or reusable skewers as preferred, soaking wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes to prevent burning if grilling or baking (not applicable here).
- These skewers can be made a few hours ahead; just cover and refrigerate to keep fresh.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute salami with marinated grilled vegetables or omit entirely.
