Giada’s Italian Cowboy Caviar is a quick, no-cook appetizer ready in 20 minutes.The dish features heart-healthy fats and antioxidant-rich ingredients.It’s an easy, flavorful option for a low-stress Thanksgiving appetizer.
The first Thanksgiving I cooked on my own was a mess. After cooking for what felt like weeks in the kitchen, we sat down to eat a just-OK feast at 8 p.m. We all laugh about it now, but I wish I had considered buying a few pre-made items or taking the complexity of my menu down a notch. Honestly, those grocery store pumpkin pies aren’t bad, and I’m not sure why I made a whole turkey for two people.
To help you avoid a fate like mine, Giada De Laurentiis just shared her Thanksgiving menu, and it includes an appetizer so simple, you could make it in just a few minutes: her Italian Cowboy Caviar. If you haven’t heard of cowboy caviar before, it’s typically a chunky black bean salsa with finely chopped veggies. (You can try our recipe for the traditional cowboy caviar, if you like.) Giada’s version is just as simple, but with more of an antipasto vibe.
De Laurentiis also shared some memories of De Laurentiis family Thanksgivings of the past—when Giada first moved to the U.S. from Italy, they served up a turkey lasagna for some elaborate Italian-American fusion.
This year, she’s created a menu to inspire you with dreamy Italian flavors and some twists on classic Thanksgiving dishes. On the list is a Roasted Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts Salad, Ricotta Bruschetta with Sweet and Spicy Tomatoes, a Baked Bolognese, a Pumpkin Torta Caprese and the Italian Cowboy Caviar.
While the dishes all sound amazing, the Italian Cowboy Caviar seems like the easiest to make—which is always appreciated at this time of year. With just a little bit of chopping, the salad is ready in about 20 minutes. It begins by combining a can of Datterini tomatoes, chopped Castelvetrano olives, mozzarella, diced red onion, pepperonicini and sliced basil in a bowl. To that you add a big drizzle of olive oil along with some herbs, salt and lemon juice and stir to combine. The final touch is a handful of pine nuts as garnish.
The dish doesn’t just sound delicious, it’s also packed with nutritious ingredients. Canned tomatoes are bursting with lycopene, an antioxidant that can help fight inflammation and protect against chronic disease. Cheese is a great way to get bone-building calcium, and olives and olive oil are a delicious source of unsaturated fats that have shown to have heart-protective benefits thanks to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Plus, fresh and dried herbs contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that act as antioxidants, protecting your cells.
If you’re tasked with making one dish or all of the dishes this Thanksgiving, then you might want to consider whipping up Giada De Laurentiis’ Italian Cowboy Caviar. It’s an approachable recipe that doesn’t require any cooking, and it’s packed with flavor. Just serve it up with a favorite loaf of crusty bread or perhaps some sturdy crackers.
And if you need a few more hands-off holiday appetizer recipes to get you through the holiday season, consider going for these three-ingredient spinach-puff pastry spirals or a flavorful pear cheese ball.
Dining and Cooking