Antipasto Bake — The Dish I Bring When the Table Has to Feed Everyone

Thanksgiving was Thursday November 28. The family-of-four hosted at our apartment. Eleven people: us four (us three plus Eden), Carol and Dustin’s dad (flown in for the weekend), Mama and Cody (drove up Wednesday), Aunt Linda and Roy (drove up Thursday morning), Roy Calloway (rode with Aunt Linda and Roy). Brayden is one hundred and sixty-five weeks old. Eden is twenty-three weeks old. The antipasto bake was my small Italian-leaning contribution to the small Thanksgiving buffet.

The antipasto bake is a small Italian-American baked-pasta-and-charcuterie casserole — cooked penne, salami, pepperoni, mozzarella, provolone, marinara, fresh basil, baked at three-fifty for thirty minutes until the cheese is bubbling.

The technique question on an antipasto bake is the cured-meat-amount. Too much cured meat and the dish becomes overly-salty. The fix is using about four ounces of total cured-meat per pound of pasta, which gives the dish the small antipasto-character without overloading the salt.

Thursday I made the bake. The dish was on the small extended buffet next to the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green-bean-casserole, cranberry-sauce, dinner-rolls. The bake disappeared first.

Brayden has been the small enthusiastic-helper at the kitchen-counter on Sunday afternoons. He hands me ingredients. He stirs the small mixing bowl. He watches the small kitchen-process with the small intent-attention of the small kid-who-might-become-a-cook-someday. The small hereditary-pattern is in the small early-signs.

Eden has been the small attentive-baby-toddler. She watches her big-brother. She mimics the small ages-three-up-to-his behavior. The small younger-sibling shape is appearing in the small everyday-rhythm.

Antipasto Bake

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced salami
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced deli ham
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced pepperoni
• 1/4 lb sliced provolone cheese
• 1/4 lb sliced Swiss cheese
• 1 jar (12 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
• 3 large eggs, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. Press bottom layer. Unroll one tube of crescent dough and press it evenly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared dish, sealing all perforations.
3. Layer the meats and cheeses. Layer the salami, ham, and pepperoni evenly over the dough. Top with the provolone and Swiss cheese slices.
4. Add the antipasto layer. Distribute the roasted red peppers, chopped artichoke hearts, and sliced olives evenly over the cheese.
5. Add the egg mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 of the eggs with the garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper. Pour evenly over the filling layers.
6. Top with second dough layer. Unroll the second tube of crescent dough and lay it over the filling, pressing the seams together and tucking the edges to seal.
7. Brush and finish. Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the top layer of dough. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
8. Bake. Bake uncovered for 28–32 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the center is set. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing into squares.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 720mg