Antipasto skewers are a fun and easy party appetizer! Make them up for a crowd and customize the ingredients to taste.
There’s nothing more fun than food on a stick, right? Here’s an easy party appetizer that capitalizes on this idea: Antipasto Skewers! They’re everything that’s great about an antipasto platter, in skewer form. Thread olives, mozzarella, marinated artichokes and tortellini pasta onto a skewer, and it’s easily devoured by eaters of all ages. It’s perfect for parties, baby or bridal showers, summer cookouts…and even as a simple dinner recipe. Skewers to the rescue!
Ingredients in antipasto skewers
Antipasto is the first course of an Italian meal: like a starter or appetizer. Antipasto is the singular, and antipasti is the plural for more than one dish (for example, “We had a few antipasti to start the meal.”) Typical antipasti you might enjoy in Italy: cured meats like prosciutto and salami, olives, fancy cheeses, marinated vegetables, pepperoncini, and mushrooms.
These antipasto skewers take the elements of an antipasto platter and thread them onto a skewer. This makes it an easy finger food for parties They are customizable to your tastes in antipasti. Here’s what you’ll need for threading on skewers:
- Tortelloni pasta, aka large tortellini, sold in packages found in the refrigerated section. It’s a pasta shape that is larger than tortellini with a filled center (this is important for skewering!).
- Fresh mozzarella balls: also known as ciliegine
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh basil leaves
- Jarred marinated artichoke hearts: marinated have great flavor, but you can use plain if you like
- Hard cheese, like provolone, asiago pressato, pepper jack, gouda, fontina, or other cheese (optional)
- Castelvetrano olives or other mild black or green olives
- Peppers: use small jarred peppers like pepperoncini, or slices of roasted red pepper
Tips for making antipasto skewers
Antipasto skewers are as simple as threading the ingredients onto skewers. But there are a few tips for making these skewers a success:
- Season the tortelloni and mozzarella. These two ingredients can taste plain on their own. Add olive oil, vinegar, and a few spices (see the recipe below) before threading them on skewers to make the flavors pop.
- Thread the ingredients in whatever order you like. Make them all the same, or vary the ingredients! We like to make them all different for some variety. But if you love symmetry, feel free to make them all exactly the same.
Variations and substitutions
One nice thing about antipasto skewers? They’re so customizable! You can use whatever ingredients you like. The most obvious variation is adding cured meat. Here are a few other ideas for what to add:
- Prosciutto, folded and skewered
- Salami, folded and skewered
- Marinated mushrooms, jarred
- Other cheeses
What else would you thread onto your skweres? Let us know in the comments below!
Serving antipasto skewers
Antipasto skewers are perfect for parties and hold up well sitting out at a buffet table. You can leave out the skewers for up to 2 hours at room temperature, then make sure to refrigerate due to the cheese.
You can refrigerate leftover skewers for a few days, but keep in mind: the basil can turn dark over time. If you’re making them ahead, make them without basil and refrigerate for 1 day before serving. If making with basil, make up to 3 hours before serving.
More party appetizer recipes
Love party food? Here are a few more party food ideas for your next gathering:
- Go for classic Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Opt for Taco Dip
- Try Marinated Mushrooms or Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Make up Margherita Flatbread or Caprese Flatbread
- Grab Cowboy Caviar
- Try Easy Pinwheels
This antipasto skewers recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Print
Antipasto Skewers
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 skewers 1x
Description
Antipasto skewers are a fun and easy party appetizer! Make them up for a crowd and customize the ingredients to taste.
Ingredients
For the skewers
- 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortelloni pasta*
- 16 small fresh mozzarella balls (Ciliegine), drained
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 16 jarred marinated artichoke hearts
- 8 to 16 cubes hard cheese, like provolone, asiago pressato, pepper jack, gouda, fontina, or other cheese (optional)
- 16 Castelvetrano olives (or other mild green or black olives)
- 8 whole small jarred peppers or 16 slices of roasted red pepper
For the seasoning
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Start a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions (usually around 2 minutes). Drain the pasta and run cool water over it until it’s warm.
- Place the pasta in a bowl with the mozzarella balls (drained). Stir in the olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and kosher salt.
- On each skewer, thread one of each: the seasoned tortellini pasta, mozzarella, cherry tomato, basil leaf, artichoke heart, hard cheese, olives, and pepper. Serve immediately. Lasts at room temperature for up to 2 hours, then refrigerate leftovers. If making ahead, make up to 3 hours in advance (or 1 day ahead without fresh basil).
Notes
*Tortelloni is large tortellini you can find in the refrigerated section: it’s a pasta shape that is larger than tortellini with a filled center. It’s best for skewers because standard tortellini is too small and has a hole in the center.
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian Inspired
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Antipasto skewers
Let us know if you have any questions!
★★★★★
Can I make these 1 day ahead of time?
You can refrigerate leftover skewers for a few days, but keep in mind: the basil can turn dark over time. If you’re making them ahead, make them without basil and refrigerate for 1 day before serving. If making with basil, make up to 3 hours before serving.