Antipasto Skewers

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These antipasto skewers are full of your favorites bites including cheese, meats, olives, artichoke, and tortellini. They a delicious, beautiful, and customizable appetizer recipe that will “wow” your guests.

antipasto skewers on a white platter

I’ve been wanting to make antipasto skewers (or as some might call them antipasto kabobs) for the longest time. I’m talking years.

Yesterday when I was at the grocery store trying to come up with an idea for today’s post, I decided that even though I didn’t have anyone to serve them to, I was finally going to make these fun antipasto skewers. I’m pretty sure these are the ultimate appetizer recipe!

plate of Antipasto Kabobs (Antipasto Skewers)

And I’m glad I did. These will now be a go-to party food for me. They are simple to make and absolutely delicious!

And if you like antipasto, you need to try my antipasto pasta salad!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • As you might have guessed, while these look fancy, they are ridiculously easy to put together. It takes a little time to skewer all of your foods, but other than that, it’s a breeze. Plus, the only thing you have to cook is the pasta – and that’s as simple as boiling water.
  • These are not only delicious, but they are super fun. If you serve these at a party, your guests will absolutely love them. I will give you the recipe below with the ingredients I used but feel free to get creative and make them your own.

Ingredients

I used a variety of traditional antipasto items for my skewers. However, feel free to use what you like or have on hand. The options are really endless here.

cured meats and cheese on a cutting board
  • Tortellini – Use any kind of pasta that is filled with meat or cheese and is easy to add to your bamboo skewer.
  • Tomatoes – A small tomato (like cherry or grape) will be easier to add to the skewers.
  • Olives – These are optional, but they add a tanginess to the savory kabobs.
  • Meats – I used both salami and prosciutto. Feel free to add pepperoni or even some sweet bologna to the skewers.
  • Cheese – Cut your favorite flavor of cheese into the thick blocks so they will be easier to use.
  • Artichoke hearts – You can use marinated or plain. Cut them into bite sized pieces.
  • Basil – Use both fresh basil leaves and some basil pesto.

You’ll also need some wood skewers. Create these antipasto skewers on longer 12-inch wood skewers or smaller 6-inch wood skewer for a more compact appetizer. 

How to Make

  1. Start by pre-cooking the pasta and allow it to cool.
  2. Skewer your selected ingredients onto a wood skewer in whatever order you desire.
  3. Arrange the assembled skewers on a large platter.
  4. Drizzle with basil pesto.

It’s as simple as that!

drizzling basil pesto of skewered meat, veggies, cheese and pasta

Recipe Variations

Get creative and try whatever ingredients YOU enjoy in your antipasto skewers! You don’t need to follow the “standard” antipasto ingredients. Get creative! Some options could include:

  • peppers
  • cucumbers
  • bread
  • pepperoni
  • berries
  • melon

As I mentioned above, I finished these off with a drizzle of store-bought basil pesto. Don’t have or like pesto? Just some olive oil and balsamic would be nice, or an Italian dressing.

You can even try a Greek-inspired antipasto kabob and use Greek dressing.

rows of skewered meat and veggies

How to Store

The best way to store leftover antipasto skewers is to deconstruct them and keep the ingredients inside individual containers. Then, when you are ready to enjoy them again, place them back on the skewers.

This will help the ingredients last longer. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.

close up of antipasto kabobs

Frequently Asked Questions

Before we get to the skewers recipe, here are some questions people often ask about it. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.

What does antipasto mean?

Now, before everyone gets too excited, there is pasta on my skewers. In case you didn’t know (I wasn’t aware of this until I googled it yesterday.), antipasto actually means “before the meal,” not anti-pasta. Ha! (Please tell me I’m not the only one who thought that.)

So, pasta in your antipasto is perfectly okay.

Can antipasto be made ahead of time?

Yes, almost any kind of antipasto dish can be made ahead of time, including these kabobs. If you are going to make them ahead of time, I suggest keeping the sauce in a separate container. The kabobs will last longer if you store them without any sauce on top.

Are kabobs an appetizer?

Yes, these antipasto kabobs are an appetizer. Remember, antipasto literally means “before the meal,” so this combination of light pasta with a few different types of meat is supposed to be served before the main meal. However, you can eat them for your lunch because they have all the ingredients of a light lunch.

Is antipasto Greek or Italian?

The word antipasto is Italian. But you can make all sorts of different antipasto skewers with influences from other countries. I used Italian spices and ingredients, so my antipasto skewers are Italian.

Antipasto Kabobs pinterest image

More Appetizer Recipes You May Enjoy

I know you’ll love these antipasto skewers. If you do, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. 

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Antipasto Kabobs (Antipasto Skewers)

Antipasto Skewers

These Antipasto Skewers (aka Antipasto Kabobs) are full of your favorites making them a delicious and beautiful appetizer recipe that will "wow" your guests!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: antipasto, kababos, skewers
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 401kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 12 ounces tortellini cooked and cooled
  • 1 cup olives kalamata and green
  • 1 cup salami cubed
  • 12 slices prosciutto sliced
  • 1 cup artichoke hearts
  • 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cubed
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup basil pesto
  • wood skewers

Instructions

  • Start by pre-cooking the pasta and allow it to cool.
  • Skewer your selected ingredients onto a wood skewer in whatever order you desire. 
  • Arrange the assembled skewers on a large platter.
  • Drizzle with basil pesto.

Video

Notes

Create these antipasto skewers on longer 12-inch wood skewers or smaller 6-inch wood skewer for a more compact appetizer. 
Get creative and try whatever ingredients YOU enjoy in your antipasto skewers! You don’t need to follow the “standard” antipasto ingredients. Get creative! Some options could include:
  • peppers
  • cucumbers
  • bread
  • pepperoni
  • berries
  • melon
As I mentioned above, I finished these off with a drizzle of store-bought basil pesto. Don’t have or like pesto? Just some olive oil and balsamic would be nice, or an Italian dressing. You can even try a Greek-inspired antipasto kabob and use Greek dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1017mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 847IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 323mg | Iron: 1mg

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41 Comments

      1. Thank you! So excited to have stumbled across your page and even more excited to try out some of your recipes for my St. Patrick’s Day party this weekend. Sláinte!

    1. If you read the blog post I mentioned “I used a variety of traditional antipasto items. However, feel free to use what you like or have on hand. The options are really endless here. With garden produce so plentiful right now, this is a great way to use up some of your fresh veggies.”

      There isn’t an exact recipe to follow here. Use whatever you’d like.

      xo Michael

  1. These were easy and delicious and looked beautiful on a white serving platter. I marinated the cooked, cooled tortellini in Italian dressing overnight to add flavor, and sprinkled the kabobs with dried basil before I drizzled with the pesto. Next time I’m going to try adding a drizzle of balsamic glaze in addition to the pesto.

  2. These anti-pasta scewers were a hit at an engagement party! I put them on a bed of leafy green lettuce and they were beautiful and delicious and great to serve during covid. No dipping needed. I added marinated artichoke hearts because it looked like you added them in the picture. Thank you very much. I’ll be bringing them to my nephew’s baby shower.

  3. We made these as part of an appetizer table for our Mom’s 80th birthday surprise party (last night). They had the elevated look we were going for, they tasted delicious and everyone loved them. Thank you for another great recipe.