This Tortellini Pasta Salad is an easy and simple meal which you can throw collectively in quarter-hour or much less. Excellent as a quick facet, fundamental dish, or fast lunch, this chilly tortellini salad will turn out to be a household favourite.
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Meet your new favourite go-to meal or facet dish! Made in a flash with quick-cooking cheese tortellini, and infinitely customizable, this chilly tortellini pasta salad is the proper back-pocket recipe.
Recipe Substances
This recipe has:
- Cheese tortellini – I used storebought from the fridge part
- Veggies – asparagus, bell pepper, and grape tomatoes (although cherry tomatoes will work as properly)
- Italian dressing or French dressing – I used storebought however the printable recipe card on the backside has notes if you happen to want/need to make your personal.
- Pesto – use storebought or make your personal (associated: Pesto With out Pine Nuts or Vegan Pesto)
- Olives – I used sliced black olives, however use your favourite
- Parmesan cheese – finely grated, please, and thanks
- Protein – I used sliced pepperoni, however salami works as properly
How To Make Tortellini Pasta Salad
*I’ll stroll you thru it right here with some pictures and suggestions, and also you’ll additionally discover a printable recipe card on the backside of the put up with precise measurements, and so on. You may click on “bounce to recipe” to skip down.
Deliver a medium saucepan of water to a boil and cook dinner the tortellini based on the packaging. Most tortellini wants about 3-7 minutes in gently boiling water.
When the tortellini has completed cooking, drain and rinse it in a strainer with cool water. Put aside.
The veggies are tremendous customizable for this recipe, however I like grilled asparagus in mine. I roasted it in my air fryer at 390˚F for 7-9 minutes. You should use your oven, a grill, and even add it uncooked.
Whereas the asparagus and tortellini are cooling, it’s time to work on the remainder of the elements. Chop the peppers, slice the olives, slice the grape tomatoes in half, and chop the pepperoni or salami.
In a big mixing bowl, mix the dressing and pesto and whisk till mixed.
Add the tortellini and veggies, and gently stir all the things to mix (I used a silicone spatula). For one of the best outcomes (and also you need one of the best outcomes, proper?), let all the things sit for no less than an hour within the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Sure, I like to recommend serving this cheese tortellini pasta salad chilly or at room temperature. That makes it excellent to deliver to a potluck, BBQ, luncheon, and so on.
Completely! This tacky tortellini salad is made higher by sitting within the fridge for no less than 1 hour. It offers the dressing and elements time to meld, which brings out all of the scrumptious flavors.
Nope, ravioli and tortellini should not the identical factor. Each are varieties of stuffed pasta, however ravioli is flat and the dough tends to be extra delicate in contrast with tortellini.
You should use ravioli in lieu of the tortellini on this recipe, however be additional cautious when stirring all of the elements collectively. The ravioli is fragile and may simply tear.
Tortellini ought to be cooked in salted water that’s going at a mild boil. A tough/rolling boil can overcook or injury the tortellini through the cooking course of.
Skilled Ideas
- This recipe serves ~3-4 if you happen to’re utilizing this as a fundamental dish, or ~6-8 if you need it as a facet.
- For finest outcomes, reduce the veggies into considerably comparable sizes. It makes it a lot simpler to eat.
- A serrated bread or cheese knife makes the cleanest cuts for slicing the small delicate tomatoes in half.
- While you rinse the tortellini (step 2 under), be sure to rinse with chilly water. This halts the cooking course of and can depart you with al dente tortellini, as an alternative of over-cooked.
- In case you have leftover pesto, take a look at my tutorial on Easy methods to Freeze Pesto.
Recipe Variations
You may add every kind of scrumptious and seasonal veggies like zucchini, inexperienced beans, roasted butternut squash, peas, pink onion, spinach, or kale to the dish.
Cheese – Parmesan, pecorino, or asiago are all scrumptious. Search for grated and never shredded cheese.
Protein: by way of in some grilled rooster, fish, or white beans.
Add in some solar dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, and/or toasted pine nuts to really feel additional fancy.
To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the pepperoni/salami, and use a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan cheese.
Storage Directions
Storing Leftovers: Enable the tortellini and any roasted veggies to completely cool earlier than storing it in an air-tight container within the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: This salad is finest if eaten chilly, however you’ll be able to reheat it for 60-90 seconds within the microwave.
Freezing Leftovers: I don’t suggest freezing this pesto tortellini pasta salad recipe.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Use it as a facet dish to a dry brine rooster or an air fryer cornish hen.
Or ramp up the wow issue and serve it in a buffet of selfmade salads like Immediate Pot Potato Salad, Chopped Cabbage Salad, Artichoke Salad, and/or a Wholesome Pea Salad.
Or go for extra carbs (sure please) and serve it alongside Tacky Garlic Bread, Stuffing Biscuits, or Frozen Biscuits within the Air Fryer.
Extra Scrumptious Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe
This cheese tortellini pasta salad is an easy and simple meal which you can throw collectively in quarter-hour or much less. Excellent as a quick facet, fundamental dish, or fast lunch, this chilly tortellini salad will turn out to be a household favourite.
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Cook dinner tortellini in salted boiling water based on the directions on the bundle (normally 3-7 minutes relying on the model).
20 oz cheese tortellini
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Drain tortellini and rinse with chilly water.
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In a big mixing bowl, add pesto and salad dressing and whisk till mixed.
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing, 2 tbsp pesto
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Add all the opposite elements to the bowl, together with the cooked/cooled tortellini, and stir gently to mix.
1 cup roasted asparagus, reduce into 1-inch items, 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced, 1/4 cup sliced olives, 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half, 1/2 cup pepperoni or salami, reduce into 1/2-inch items, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 20 oz cheese tortellini
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Enable salad to sit down within the fridge for 1+ hours earlier than serving.
- This recipe serves ~3-4 if you happen to’re utilizing this as a fundamental dish, or ~6-8 if you need it as a facet.
- A serrated bread or cheese knife makes the cleanest cuts for slicing the small tomatoes in half.
Selfmade Italian Dressing
Mix: 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp white or pink wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp floor black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp dried tarragon, (elective) pinch of pink pepper flakes.
- Vitamin values are an estimate solely.
Vitamin Information
Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe
Quantity Per Serving (1 cup)
Energy 352
Energy from Fats 108
% Each day Worth*
Fats 12g18%
Saturated Fats 4g25%
Trans Fats 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fats 0.4g
Monounsaturated Fats 2g
Ldl cholesterol 37mg12%
Sodium 400mg17%
Potassium 125mg4%
Carbohydrates 44g15%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 693IU14%
Vitamin C 15mg18%
Calcium 144mg14%
Iron 2mg11%
* % Each day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie food plan.
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