Antipasta Skewers

Up close photo of a person holding an Antipasto on a Stick.

These easy Antipasta Skewers are a delicious cold make-ahead appetizer that are always a crowd pleaser. Perfect for the holidays, summer parties or watching Super Bowl.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian/American

Keyword Antipasta Kabobs, Antipasta Skewers, Antipasto Kabobs, Antipasto Skewers

Prep Time 30

Total Time 2

Servings skewers

Calories 59kcal

Author Heather

Equipment

6 inch bamboo skewers

Ingredients

Balsamic Marinade

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar *see Note #1 below
1 teaspoon ground rosemary *see Note #2 below
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic *crushed or minced

Skewer Ingredients

16 ounces part skim mozzarella *see Note #3 below
12 ounces teardrop tomatoes
1 6 ounce can pitted ripe black olives
2 14 ounce cans baby artichoke hearts *cut in half
10 ounces pitted ripe Italian green olives (Castelvetrano Green Olives) *see Note #4 below
88 large basil leaves
2 ounces thinly sliced Salame *see Note #5 below
2 ounces thinly sliced Pepperoni

Instructions

Balsamic Marinade for Cheese

In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the oil, balsamic, garlic, salt and herbs.
Cube the cheese into bite size pieces and add to the balsamic mixture. Mix well and marinate for 1-2 hours.

Antipasta Skewers

Once cheese is fully marinated drain Artichoke hearts and cut in half. Drain olives, wash tomatoes and basil leaves.
Hold the base of the toothpick between your thumb and pointer finger. Use your other hand to thread the toothpick with a green olive.
Fold the pepperoni into 1/4's and thread onto the toothpick along with the cheese.
Next fold a large basil leaf into 1/4' s and add to the toothpick along with a grape tomato, a folded piece of salami, an artichoke heart, more basil and a black olive.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Recipe Notes

Note #1- The recipe was written for a balsamic vinegar purchased from Costco. However, when using high end balsamic vinegars it is important to start with small amounts because it will be much more powerful of a vinegar than what can be purchased in most US grocery stores.

Note #2- If using dried rosemary that is not already ground, use a small coffee grinder to easily grind. I keep one on hand to only grind dried rosemary and fennel seeds.

Note #3- Buy the mozzarella in block form and cut it yourself. As beautiful as mozzarella balls are, they can become incredibly costly when making these skewers for many people.

Note #4- These Italian olives are literally my favorite. They are not as zippy in flavor as Kalamata olives and yet have a bit more of a zippiness than black olives. Many Costcos do carry this type of olive. However, if unavailable at Costco you can also buy them here.

Note #5- I used cured meats from Fra'Mani's AntiPasto Platter that I purchased at Costco. The Salame and Pepperoni are very small in diameter and thinly sliced. Since only 2 slices in total are used for each skewer, a very small amount if meat is necessary. However, it never hurts to have extra meat just in case.

Additionally, other types of cured meats may be substituted such as Prosciutto, Coppa and Soppressata.

Nutrition