This Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad is full of fresh veggies, salami, and two types of cheese tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. This pasta salad is so easy to make and the perfect light lunch or filling side dish!
Why You’ll Love This Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe
- Easy – The only cooking required is boiling the pasta. Then, just combine the ingredients and make the dressing to pull the salad together.
- Great to make ahead – Pasta salad stores well and tastes even better the next day, meaning it’s perfect for meal prep.
- Versatile – You can easily mix and match different ingredients to customize this pasta salad. It’s a great way to use up extra veggies in the fridge!
Recipe Ingredients
Tortellini pasta: for this recipe, we’re using cheese tortellini. These are a type of small, tender pasta stuffed with a savory blend of cheese. Be sure to grab tortellini and not tortelloni which are a bit bigger. If you need to keep this recipe gluten free then feel free to use your favorite gluten free version of tortellini.
Kalamata olives: olives add the perfect salty bite to the pasta salad. Of course, feel free to leave them out if you prefer.
Veggies: cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, bell pepper, grilled artichoke hearts, English cucumber, and red onion add lots of color, texture, and tremendous flavor to the salad.
Salami: feel free to use any salami you like best. Or, feel free to omit it completely to keep this tortellini pasta salad vegetarian. You could also swap the salami for another protein!
Fresh herbs: fresh parsley and fresh basil add even more delicious flavor to the salad.
Cheese: we’re using both mini mozzarella balls and grated parmesan cheese.
Dijon mustard: you’ll need a bit of this to add a slight tang to the dressing.
Lemon juice: a must have in the vinaigrette – try to use fresh lemon juice if you can!
Red wine vinegar: this helps form the base of the dressing along with the olive oil.
Olive oil: be sure to use an olive oil that like the taste of for the best flavor.
Garlic: you’ll need at least two garlic cloves for this recipe, but feel free to add more if you prefer a stronger garlic flavor.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Tortellini
Step One: Cook the tortellini pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. Once al dente, drain, and rinse the pasta with cold water.
Step Two: Add the pasta and all the other pasta salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Step Three: Add the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to a high-powered blender or food processor. Pulse until well combined.
Step Four: Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh herbs. Serve right away, or chill until you’re ready to eat!
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overcook your pasta. Boil the tortellini just to al dente so that it still has a bit of bite when tossed with the rest of the ingredients.
- Drain and rinse the pasta under cool water to remove any excess starch before adding it to your mixing bowl.
- Salt your water while cooking the pasta to ensure it has plenty of flavor.
- Dice the ingredients into small equal-sized pieces to ensure you get a bit of everything in each bite.
- Don’t skip mincing the garlic when making the dressing. When you mince the garlic before adding it to your food processor or blender, it blends more evenly into the dressing.
Serving Suggestions
You can easily serve this pasta salad as a complete meal. However, I love to bring it to summer potlucks or barbecues to enjoy with main courses like:
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reserve a little dressing to freshen up the salad if it becomes dry, and gently toss before serving.
More Delicious Pasta Salad Recipes
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
I hope you give this Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe a try! It’s so easy to make and great for meal prep! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
Print
Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe is full of fresh veggies, salami, and two types of cheese tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. This pasta salad is so easy to make and the perfect light lunch or filling side dish!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16oz cheese tortellini pasta
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
- 1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup grilled artichoke hearts, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced English cucumber
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 4 oz salami, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for serving)
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus more for serving)
- 1/2 cup mini mozzarella balls (pearls)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves finely minced or pressed garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. Once al dente, drain, rinse the pasta with cold water.
- Add the pasta and all of the other pasta salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing: Add the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to a high powered blender or food processor and blend until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined.
- Garnish with additional grated parmesan and fresh herbs
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: The Mindful Hapa
