Antipasto Salad

This one is a super easy one today. It's a no cook, throw everything in a bowl, keep it moving kind of recipe. We have to break out one small appliance to make the dressing, but that's it.

So, let's talk dressing. We're going to whip up a super quick pepper parmesan dressing. To a small food processor or blender, we add some olive oil, shredded parm, a little vinegar, garlic, good ol' s&p, and a dollop of mayonnaise to add a touch of creaminess. Hit the button, and let the blender do all the hard work of emulsifying this dressing for you. Once everything is combined and looking creamy, the dressing is done!

For the salad, we have a little bit of everything in here. We're going to use a mix of romaine, spinach, and arugula as the base of the salad. Then, we're going to load it up with all kinds of Italian flavors. Tomatoes, shallot, banana peppers, salami, ham, capers, and ooey gooey burrata all get layered on top of our mixed greens. Then, we drizzle over our dressing, give everything a toss, and dinner is served!

Here's the thing about this salad, you can add or remove ingredients based on what your family and you love. Kiddos can't handle the banana peppers? Don't put them on their side of the salad. The whole family loves olives but not capers? No problemo...swap them out. Don't have any burrata? Just use some torn fresh mozzarella or little pearl mozzarella. We have options!

And, since we can serve this salad family style on a big platter, you can control where you drop your salad components. Add double of something on one side or nothing of something on the other. This meal is so flexible, the level a stress you should feel from assembling this should be in the negatives.

But on top of being a simple, no fuss meal; this salad is freaking delicious! We have some tangy flavors, some savory flavors, some creamy flavors, so fresh and clean flavors. And that savory dressing is something that I could drink. It's sooooo good!

This is a crazy time to be a parent right now as many of you are juggling this new normal of being a working parent while being a homeschooling parent. I know that when 5pm hits and the work day/school day is over, your responsibilities are not. Everyone still has to eat, and the world still has to turn. So, I really hope that this meal takes even the tiniest bit of pressure off of you. I'd come and cook for every single one of you if I could. But since I can't, hopefully this recipe is a good plan B.

And even if you're not a parent out there (like me) right now, I know the world is stressful place overall. So, this easy breezy meal is for all of us!

So I hope you guys enjoy. And, let's eat!