This Tortellini Pasta Salad is one that you will want to make right away. You will love this delicious and satisfying pasta salad with its colorful and flavorful ingredients.
Recipe Inspiration
Classic pasta salad gets a big makeover in this delicious side dish!
It’s a hearty salad filled with cheesy tortellini and fresh vegetables like grape tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, and arugula. Mixed into this delicious salad is parmesan cheese and a light Italian dressing made with red wine vinegar and dijon mustard.
This makes a great lunch or dinner and it is the perfect dish to bring to a potluck or to serve at a family gathering. It will appeal to and be enjoyed by people of all ages and will definitely be a crowd pleaser!
If you are looking for more salad recipes, check out our: Lemon Orzo Salad, Simple Pasta Salad or Tofu and Lentil Salad with Spiced Yogurt.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Simple - You can make this salad in just a few minutes. While the tortellini cooks on the stove, prepare the remaining ingredients. This is a great option for a quick and easy meal.
Versatile - This salad can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. It can be served cold as a refreshing summer salad or warm as a comforting winter dish. You could also choose to serve this as a main dish or a side dish. It’s easily customizable, so you can add or swap out ingredients as you please!
Approachable - There are not any special skills or equipment required to make this delicious salad, so it is great for beginners or anyone who is looking to make an impressive dish with minimal effort!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for Italian tortellini salad:
- Tortellini - I like to use cooked and cooled cheese tortellini.
- Tomatoes - Use halved grape tomatoes.
- Onion - Use a red onion.
- Cucumber - I prefer to use mini cucumbers.
- Green pepper
- Arugula
- Parmesan
- Fresh herbs
- Olive oil - Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Dijon
- Red wine vinegar
- Italian seasoning
- Salt & black pepper
Directions
Let's make this easy pasta salad together!
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green pepper, arugula, and parmesan. Mix well.
Step 2: Add the tortellini to the bowl and mix. No need to rise with cold water!
Step 3: In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk well until fully combined.
Step 4: Gradually add the zesty Italian dressing to the tortellini mixture, tossing well.
Step 5: Serve, garnished with fresh herbs, and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Tricks
Here are some expert tips to make this Italian pasta salad:
Multitask - While the tortellini cooks on the stove, prepare everything else. Once the tortellini is done, rinsed and cooled, toss everything together in a large bowl.
Plan ahead - This makes a pretty hearty sized salad, so plan to combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl that is big enough to hold the ingredients and allows enough space for mixing it.
Shake it - Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well and pour over the salad.
Kitchen Equipment
Here is some kitchen equipment you will need for this perfect side dish. You can find all of these products on Amazon.
Large bowl - Use a large bowl to serve this salad. I love this one!
Wooden Spoon - I love these wooden spoons for mixing and serving the salad.
Mixing Bowl - Need to upgrade your mixing bowls? This set is great, and the large bowl is perfect for mixing up this salad!
Recipe Substitutions/Variations
Here are some common recipe substitutions and variations for this tortellini salad recipe.
Tortellini - Swap out the cheese tortellini for meat or vegetable filled tortellini.
Cucumber - Instead of mini cucumbers, use a seedless English cucumber or remove the seeds from a regular cucumber.
Green pepper - Use any color of bell pepper you would like. To give the salad even more color, use a combination of bell peppers.
Additions - Feel free to add ingredients you may have around. Some great additions would be black olives, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, green onions, fresh mozzarella, or sun dried tomatoes.
What To Serve With
Here are some recipes to serve alongside this tortellini pasta salad recipe:
Margherita Flatbread - This Margherita Flatbread is made with slices of fresh tomatoes, flavorful basil, gooey mozzarella cheese, and dollops of pesto all on top of a crispy flatbread crust
Italian Chopped Salad - This Italian chopped salad is a hearty salad filled with fresh vegetables, salami, mozzarella, and kalamata olives. It is topped with a delicious homemade Italian vinaigrette that is made with red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and Italian seasoning.
Easy Garlic Bread - This recipe is so easy. It takes less than 20 minutes to make and it comes out great every single time. Garlic, butter and bread never lets you down, right?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tortellini is stuffed pasta that is filled with cheese, meat, and/or vegetables. It can be enjoyed in various different dishes, from salads to soups. It pairs well with many different ingredients and is delicious both warm and cold.
Sure! This is actually quite delicious after the flavors had some time to combine. Make this up to a day ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
It really doesn’t matter what kind of tortellini you use. The only difference will be the cooking time, so just be sure to follow the package instructions.
Recipe Storage and Reheating
Here are storage and reheating instructions for this recipe:
Refrigerator Storage: Store in an airtight container and eat leftovers within 4-5 days.
Freezer Storage: Freeze in a freezer-safe, airtight container and keep for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator.
Other Recipes to Try
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Tortellini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 20 oz package Cheese tortellini cooked
- 10 oz Grape tomatoes halved
- 1 Red onion diced
- 2 mini cucumbers sliced
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 cups arugula
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- Fresh herbs for serving
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, green pepper, arugula, and parmesan in a bowl. Mix well. Add cooked tortellini and mix.
- Combine dressing ingredients and whisk well. Slowly add to the tortellini mixture and toss. Serve with fresh herbs and enjoy.
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