1-Step 1: Cook and Prepare the Tortellini Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the 16-ounce package of cheese tortellini and cook according to the package instructions, typically 5-7 minutes for fresh tortellini or slightly longer for frozen. You want them al dente since they’ll be served cold. Once cooked, drain the tortellini in a colander and rinse them quickly under cold water to stop the cooking process and bring them to room temperature.

2-Step 2: Make the Homemade Italian Dressing While the tortellini cooks, prepare your homemade Italian dressing. Add the 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 cloves minced garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and the basil is fully incorporated into the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more salt, pepper, or honey to balance the flavors to your liking. This dressing does double duty: you’ll use some to marinate the tortellini and mozzarella, and the rest for drizzling over the finished skewers. The fresh basil gives it a vibrant green color and an aromatic quality that bottled dressings simply can’t match.

3-Step 3: Prep Your Remaining Ingredients Now it’s time to prepare all your other components. Drain the olives and artichoke hearts well. Halve the cherry tomatoes if they’re particularly large, though small ones can stay whole. Slice the roasted red peppers into pieces roughly the same size as your other ingredients. Tear the fresh basil leaves into pieces. If your provolone cheese isn’t already cubed, cut it into 20 even cubes about the same size as the mozzarella balls. For the cured meats, you have options. You can fold the salami and prosciutto slices into quarters or roll them loosely before threading onto the skewers. This adds visual interest and makes the skewers feel more substantial.

4-Step 4: Marinate the Cheese and Tortellini Place the cooled, dressed tortellini and the 20 baby mozzarella balls in a bowl and pour about one-third of your prepared dressing over them. Toss gently to coat everything evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 4 hours if you’re prepping ahead. This marinating step is what takes these antipasto skewers from good to absolutely delicious.

5-Step 5: Assemble the Skewers Here’s where the fun begins! Thread your ingredients onto the 20 wooden skewers, mixing and matching as you prefer. There’s no wrong way to do this, but a pleasing arrangement might look something like:
Order Ingredient
1 Tortellini (2 pieces)
2 Folded salami slice
3 Mozzarella ball
4 Olive
5 Cherry tomato
6 Prosciutto slice (folded or rolled)
7 Provolone cube
8 Artichoke heart piece
9 Roasted red pepper piece
10 Fresh basil piece
The beauty of these skewers recipe creations is their flexibility. Feel free to arrange ingredients differently on each skewer or create a consistent pattern throughout. Just make sure each skewer gets a good variety of flavors and textures.

6-Step 6: Final Touches and Serving Arrange your assembled skewers on a large platter or serving board. If you have extra dressing, drizzle it over the top just before serving for added flavor and a beautiful glossy finish. You can also serve additional dressing on the side for guests who want extra. These skewers can be served chilled or at room temperature. If you’ve refrigerated them, let them sit out for about 15-20 minutes before serving to take the chill off, which allows the flavors to shine more brightly.