Tortellini Pasta Salad

No ratings yet

Tortellini Pasta Salad is made with fresh ingredients and cheese-filled tortellini, this salad is easy to throw together and then toss in Italian dressing.

Prep Time20

Cook Time5

Chill Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Dinner, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 cup serving

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

24 ounces (1½ - 16-ounce) packages frozen tri-color cheese tortellini (you can also use plain cheese tortellini if you cannot find the tri-color)
1 cup chopped 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 Italian salad dressing I used traditional Italian dressing, but you could use zesty

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 tri-color 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 Italian salad dressing over the salad.
½ cup Italian salad dressing
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:

To Store: Store your pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Tips:

Don’t cook past al Dente: You should cook the tortellini just until al-dente; any longer and they will become mushy and fall apart when mixed with the other ingredients. Drain and rinse them under cold water to cool them down and stop the cooking process.
Slice The Same Size: Make sure that you dice and slice all your vegetables, cheese, and salami the same size. I prefer smaller sized mix-ins because it makes it easier to get a bite of everything in each forkful.
Vegetarian Version: Make this salad vegetarian-friendly by omitting the meat and bulking it up with garbanzo beans, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans or grilled tofu.
Vary Your Veggies: Almost any vegetable will work for this easy pasta salad. You can add broccoli florets, shredded carrots, artichoke hearts, celery, corn, sun dried tomatoes, or whatever you have on hand.
Make It More Meaty: If you’d like a bit more meat in your salad, add any combination of pepperoni, capicola, hot ham capicola, or even prosciutto to the mix.
Grab Greek Ingredients: You can turn this tortellini salad recipe into a Greek pasta salad with a few ingredient swaps. Use pitted kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, and Greek dressing.

Nutrition