Tortellini Pasta Salad
This easy tortellini pasta salad is loaded with cheese tortellini, fresh veggies, and zesty Italian dressing. It’s the perfect make-ahead side for summer cookouts, potlucks, or weekday lunches.
Servings: 8 1 cup serving
Calories: 430kcal
Ingredients
- 24 ounces (1½ - 16-ounce) packages frozen cheese tortellini
- 1 cup chopped salami I used thick sliced deli hard salami
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes washed and halved
- ½ cucumber sliced and quartered
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese pearls or diced fresh mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup diced red pepper
- ¼ cup diced green pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh sweet basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup zesty Italian salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons pesto sauce
Instructions
- Cook the cheese tortellini according to the package instructions until they are al dente. Drain and rinse them under cold water to cool them down and stop the cooking process.24 ounces (1½ - 16-ounce) packages frozen cheese tortellini
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked tortellini, chopped salami, halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, mozzarella pearls, red onion, red and green bell pepper, fresh basil, kosher salt and pepper.1 cup chopped salami, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cucumber, ½ cup sliced black olives, ½ cup mozzarella cheese pearls, ½ cup thinly sliced red onion, ¼ cup diced red pepper, ¼ cup diced green pepper, ¼ cup chopped fresh sweet basil leaves, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the salad ingredients.¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- Drizzle the zesty Italian salad dressing and pesto sauce over the salad.½ cup zesty Italian salad dressing, 2 tablespoons pesto sauce
- Gently toss all the ingredients together until they are well combined.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
- Before serving, give the pasta salad a final toss to ensure all the ingredients are coated with the dressing. Serve chilled, and you can garnish with additional fresh basil leaves if desired.
Notes
Storage:
- Make ahead: This pasta salad actually tastes better after a few hours in the fridge. Just give it a good toss before serving.
- Store: Keep the Italian tortellini pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
- Reheat: Best served cold, but you can bring it to room temperature if you prefer.
- Freeze: Not recommended; tortellini and dressing don’t thaw well and may become mushy.
- Overcooked tortellini can get mushy and fall apart when tossed.
- This stops the cooking process and cools the tortellini quickly.
- Cutting ingredients into similar-sized pieces ensures every bite is balanced.
- Letting the salad chill for at least 1 hour allows the flavors to meld perfectly.
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 2651mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 491IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 3mg
