Italian Antipasto Salad

It's an Italian charcuterie board in a bowl 😋

Good morning!

It’s embarrassing to admit, but I was one of those people who completely missed the Northern Lights on Friday night. I don’t even have a great excuse, like recovering from surgery or working the night shift or stuck under cloud cover.

I was watching 3 Body Problem on TV, tucked in with blankets pulled up to my chin, completely oblivious, while my entire neighborhood was out in the streets getting all zen and life-changey over the pink, green, and purple kaleidoscope swirling above our houses.

I settled in around 11:15 pm to doomscroll FB and IG and finally saw the local chatter and photos. I ran outside with my camera. Too late. Lol. 🫤

I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned, but just in case you, too, missed a rare world event for no good reason at all and feel a lot of retrospective FOMO, know that you’re not alone.

Here {shuffles awkwardly}. Have some salad. It’s good. Not Northern Lights good. But it’s pretty tasty.

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Italian Antipasto Salad

There’s definitely a time and place for healthy salads. This is not that time. While similar American chef’s salads lean club-sandwichy — ham, turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, hard-boiled eggs and the like — this salad looks to Italian antipasto for inspiration: salami, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, and more.

This is a beautiful, meal-level salad that even your fussiest carnivores won’t complain about.

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While we wait for summer to fully arrive with its abundance of fresh produce, here are a few season-transitional salads that can stand up to grocery store ingredients. Oh, and also some tips for making great salads, especially when you need to win over the salad avoiders in your life. (Or maybe even yourself.)

Avocado Shrimp Salsa Salad

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Seven Layer Salad

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Cobb Salad Lentil Bowl

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10 Pro Tips for Creating Sensational Salads

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Big Mac Salad

This recipe has been sitting on my list of things that have been tried but needs writing up and photographing ever since, I don’t know, Thanksgiving? By now, of course, it’s a viral trend that’s come and gone, and I missed the boat (which seems to be a trend of my own #northernlights).

ANYWAY. It’s still worth sharing because I love a good WFH lunch that’s more substantial than a cold turkey and Swiss sandwich. It’s 15 minutes and done, including prep.

If you don’t follow food creators on social media, this is a deconstructed Big Mac, without the bun, served in a bowl — more salad than burger.

The Recipe:

You take about a quarter pound of lean ground beef and brown it thoroughly in a medium skillet. Sprinkle a splash of Worcestershire sauce over the beef, add some chopped onions, and saute until the onions soften a little. Then add some sharp cheddar cheese — grated or sliced, it doesn’t really matter — and let it melt over the beef mixture.

While the beef cooks, chop up a few cherry tomatoes, dill pickles, more cheese, and lettuce (or use convenient bagged lettuce). And then assemble.

You can top it all with Thousand Island dressing or whisk up a quick and zesty Bang Bang Burger sauce: 2 parts mayo, 2 parts sweet chili sauce, 1 part sriracha or gochujang sauce (so, e.g., 2 tablespoons mayo, 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon gochujang).

It’s low-carb, protein-packed, veggie-loaded, filling, and delicious. Divide the rest of the pound of ground beef into three loosely packed balls, place in a zipper bag, and refrigerate or freeze for future salads. Or Smash Burger Tacos.

And if you’re into watching the viral food vids on social media, there’s also a revival of a trend from years ago that’s still sticking around like mom jeans: Crispy smashed potatoes. They’re delicious and would go nicely in a dinner alongside a Big Mac Salad. Here’s my recipe from four years ago (ahead of TikTok trends, for once in my life). Bon Appotato!

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Until next time, friends, stay kind 🫶🏻, wear sunscreen 🧴, and remember that soup … and salads … are always great ideas 🍲