Tortellini Salad

Tortellini salad is one of those wholesome pasta recipes that is hearty enough to eat like a meal. It’s got a zesty Italian inspired dressing, plenty of beautiful veggies and even salami but that’s not all. Cheese filled tortellini and fresh mozzarella put the finishing touches on this dish and add that extra something special.

Tortellini salad is one of the most robust and vibrant pasta salad recipes in my arsenal. This crowd-pleasing favorite offers so much more than average tortellini recipes, standing head and shoulders above the rest.

Pasta and macaroni salads are a mainstay in our house. If they’re yours as well, I hope you’ll try my authentic Hawaiian macaroni salad, dill pickle pasta salad, and my easy-peasy pasta salad with Italian dressing.

Let’s make this salad!

What I Love About Tortellini Salad

This vibrant tortellini salad can satiate even the hardiest of appetites. Zesty homemade vinaigrette blend savory meat, rich cheese and crisp summer veggies to create a complex flavor profile that’s hard to resist! Here are even more reasons to love it.

• Incredible flavor
• Eats like a meal
• One bowl wonder
• Cheese filled yum
• Really easy to make

Tortellini Pasta Salad Ingredients

Pasta Salad Dressing:

• Reserved Oil: This is oil you will save from the jar of marinated artichokes. It’s already loaded with great flavor and seasonings, so it really provides the perfect foundation for this dressing.
• Olive Oil: Use your favorite type of olive oil. I generally use EVOO.
• Balsamic Vinegar: I generally use the Kirkland brand balsamic vinegar from Costco with great results. I not only love the taste, but the price as well.
• Red Wine Vinegar: Adds a little more sharpness to the acidity.
• Garlic: Use fresh cloves of garlic not the stuff in the jar.
• Italian Seasoning: A great blend of dried herbs that generally includes, depending on the brand you buy,  marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and sage. Sometimes I miss having rosemary in the blends so I add it separately.
• Salt + Black Pepper: To finish off the seasoning.

Pasta Salad:

• Prepared Tortellini: For this salad I generally like the flavor of cheese filled tortellini, but feel free to use whichever flavor you like best.
• Red Onion: Adds the perfect onion flavor without being too sharp.
• Marinated Artichoke Hearts:
• Salami: This Italian cured meat adds tremendous flavor.
• Garbanzo Beans: These great beans add a lovely creamy texture and are nutrient-dense.
• Olives: This salad combines black and green olives for a more complex flavor profile.
• Peppadew Peppers: These are one of my favorite goodies in the salad. They’re sweet, slightly spicy South African peppers that are so much better than most mainstream roasted red peppers. Yeah, they’re honestly that good.
• Red Bell Pepper: These are added fresh for some nice textural crunch!
• Mozzarella:I  use a whole ball of fresh mozzarella cut into cubes. If you can find the small balls, you can use those instead. I recommend buying ciliegine mozzarella (the size of cherries) to keep the ingredients all roughly the same size.
• Tomatoes: I like to use either cherry or grape tomatoes.

Topping:

• Basil: It’s best to add the basil right before serving for the freshest, brightest basil flavor.
• Olive Oil: EVOO!

Tips

Making tortellini pasta salad is a beautiful way to feed a hungry crowd at potlucks or large family gatherings and a few tricks of the trade can help ensure an unforgettable flavor.

• Cooking Pasta: Boiling the tortellini until just al dente is the best way to keep it from getting mushy. This should take approximately 7-9 minutes unless frozen or otherwise directed on the package. Al dente is an Italian term that literally means, “to the tooth”.  The consistency should be firm when bitten after cooking/
• Toss It Warm: Combine ingredients for vinaigrette dressing and set aside while the tortellini is boiling. Immediately toss warm pasta into the homemade dressing and combine well. Let it cool to room temperature. This process will infuse all the tangy flavors of the vinaigrette into the tortellini pasta for a fresh burst of sunshine in every bite.

**Pro Tip: This recipe serves 12 people conservatively so if you aren’t feeding a large crowd, you can cut it in half. Making half a batch of tortellini salad provides some fabulous weekday lunches or even a tasty Mediterranean-style dinner that’s ready when you get home!

How To Make Tortellini Salad

1. Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2. Mix cooked pasta with the dressing.
3. Add the rest of the salad ingredients.
4. Toss well.
5. Refrigerate.
6. Toss before serving.

***See the full instructions below

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• Refrigerate: For best results, tortellini pasta salad should be refrigerated in an airtight container with a secure lid or covered with saran wrap. Storing the salad properly means protecting it from the air, which is the main cause of food oxidation. Adequate cooling slows oxidation, so your tortellini salad should be stored at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Now this is a large recipe that feeds a crowd. So, if your fridge is full you may not have the extra room to shove your largest bowl in there, too. If that’s the case, divide the tortellini salad in half and store it in two 1-gallon Ziploc bags. Just be sure they are securely closed! Not only will that save some space, but it’s also easy to flip the bags upside down occasionally to make sure the yummy dressing is evenly distributed
• Can You Freeze This? Unfortunately, tortellini salad does not freeze well. The crisp summer veggies just can’t stand up to freezing temperatures. However, the homemade vinaigrette can be prepared and frozen ahead of time, if necessary.
• Make-Ahead Tips: Prepping ahead makes it easier to throw this together.
  • The veggies can be chopped and refrigerated in a mason jar or covered container.
  • Remember to slowly thaw your vinaigrette if it has been previously frozen.
  • Chopping the meat and cheese ahead of time also helps but they should not be stored with the vegetables. When it’s time to make your tortellini salad, simply follow recipe instructions.
  • If the salad seems a little dry after it’s been in the fridge overnight, toss in a few tablespoons – up to a ¼ cup – of olive oil when you check the seasonings.
• How Long Can You Keep This? According to the USDA, your tortellini salad will stay fresh for 3-5 days if properly refrigerated.

Recipe Variations

• Switch The Peppadews: Some slight variations or substitutions may be necessary according to certain preferences or diet restrictions but keep in mind it may change the flavor of your tortellini salad. For instance, peppadew peppers can sometimes be hard to find so people sometimes use jarred roasted red peppers instead. Of course, this is fine, but I promise the peppadew peppers are much better!
• Switch The Salami: You may also substitute ham for the genoa salami, but ham doesn’t quite have the same bite when combined with that flavorful vinaigrette. If you don’t want to use salami, you can substitute pepperoni or one of my favorites – boiled shrimp (or use them both.)
• Quicker Dressing: If you want a super quick and easy tortellini salad recipe, you can skip making your own dressing and use about 1 cup of your favorite store-bought brand.

Can I Add Tortellini Salad With Spinach?

Adding spinach to your tortellini salad is a great way to up the nutrition ante. Try serving it on a big bed of fresh, crisp spinach for extra nutritious texture and flavor. There is plenty of that beautiful tangy dressing to accommodate the spinach.

More Pasta And Macaroni Salads You’ll Love

• Tuna Pasta Salad
• Classic Macaroni Salad
• Chicken Macaroni Salad
• Caesar Pasta Salad
• Southern Macaroni Salad
• Shrimp Pasta Salad

Save Recipe!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Tortellini Salad

Tortellini salad is a vibrant satisfying Italian inspired salad that combines beauty with bold Mediterranean flavors to inspire gratification in every bite.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time14 minutes mins

Total Time54 minutes mins

Servings: 12 serves

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup reserved oil from marinated artichokes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Salad:

• 2 (20-ounce each) packages cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 cup red onion sliced
• 1 (6.5-ounce) jar marinated artichokes hearts, drained and oil reserved
• 8 ounces genoa salami, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup pitted black olives, cut in half
• 1 cup pitted Italian green olives, cut in half
• 1/3 cup peperoncini peppers, sliced
• 1/3 cup peppadew peppers, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, julienned
• 2 (8-ounce) containers fresh mozzarella ball in water, drained and cut Into 1/2 inch cubes
• 10 ounces container grape tomatoes, cut in half

Topping:

• 1/4 fresh basil leaves, julienned
• 2 tablespoons-to 1/4 Cup Olive oil, optional

Instructions

• In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients of the dressing until well combined. Set aside.
• Cook the tortellini (2 packages) according to package directions and drain well.  
• While the pasta is still warm, toss it in the mixing bowl with dressing. Allow pasta to cool.
• When dressed pasta has cooled to room temperature, add the rest of the salad ingredients to the pasta and toss well.
• Refrigerate 6 hours, or even better, overnight. 
• Toss before serving, adjust seasoning, and add olive oil as needed. Topped with fresh basil and Serve

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Antipasto Salad
• 
  Greek Pasta Salad (Under 30-minute meal!)
• 
  Italian Pasta Salad (Amazing Cold Pasta Salad! )
• 
  Mediterranean Pasta Salad (30-minute meal!)

RATE THIS RECIPE

Save Recipe!

Notes

1. Cooking Pasta: Boiling the tortellini until just al dente is the best way to keep it from getting mushy. This should take approximately 7-9 minutes unless frozen or otherwise directed on the package. Al dente is an Italian term that literally means, "to the tooth".  The consistency should be firm when bitten after cooking/
2. Toss It Warm: Combine ingredients for vinaigrette dressing and set aside while the tortellini is boiling. Immediately toss warm pasta into the homemade dressing and combine well. Let it cool to room temperature. This process will infuse all the tangy flavors of the vinaigrette into the tortellini pasta for a fresh burst of sunshine in every bite.

**Pro Tip: This recipe serves 12 people conservatively so if you aren’t feeding a large crowd, you can cut it in half. Making half a batch of tortellini salad provides some fabulous weekday lunches or even a tasty Mediterranean-style dinner that’s ready when you get home!

© Gonna Want Seconds. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.

 

Pin

Share

Email