Italian Tortellini Salad – the BEST Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
This EASY tortellini salad recipe is perfect for any pot-luck, picnic, cookout or backyard barbecue! This delicious tortellini pasta salad is loaded with all of your Italian favorites, like salami, tomatoes, olives, banana peppers and more! Topped with Italian dressing and shredded Parmesan cheese, this Italian pasta salad is amazing!
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If you love cold tortellini salad, this Italian Tortellini Salad is a winner! It’s absolutely perfect as a side dish for your next cookout or barbecue, and fantastic with your grilled chicken or burgers as a weeknight meal.
Growing up in the mid-west, pot luck dinners were always a community-wide event! Every home cook brought their best dishes, including salads, fried chicken, sandwiches and decadent desserts to share with everyone!
What does this easy tortellini salad recipe include?
Loaded with fresh, delicious tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, and mini-pepperoni, this salad could easily be a meal in itself.
The tri-color tortellini pasta comes together wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients making an amazingly colorful dish. The shredded Parmesan cheese really brings the salad together and is complimentary to the cheese tortellini.
If you absolutely love veggies in your pasta salad you should check out this gorgeous Spring Orzo Salad Recipe by Yummy Healthy Easy. That asparagus looks amazing!
What type of tortellini should I buy for this tortellini pasta salad recipe?
I tend to use frozen tortellini pasta for this tortellini salad. You can also buy refrigerated tortellini from the refrigerator section of the grocery store. This is very easy to make, but a bit more expensive than the frozen.
Occasionally, you can find (dry/boxed) tortellini in the pasta section of the grocery store, however, this can sometimes be hard to come by.
Check out some of my other tortellini recipes like my Chicken Tortellini Alfredo, Skillet Tortellini and Meatballs Marinara and my Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup.
What makes this Italian pasta salad recipe so easy to make?
This tortellini salad is very simple to make, and comes together quickly and easily. Feel free to use a store-bought Italian dressing, as is coats the pasta and veggies well and adds a nice, complimentary flavor.
It also brings all of the ingredients together, including the fresh vegetables, cheeses and pepperoni.
Here’s a shopping list of ingredients you’ll need for this fantastic tortellini salad:
- Frozen or Dry Tortellini
- Mini Pepperoni
- Sliced Black Olives
- Red Onion
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- Yellow Banana Peppers (can be found in a jar, near the olives and pickles at the supermarket)
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Ground Pepper
Tortellini Pasta Salad Q&A:
Can you make tortellini pasta salad the day before?
Yes, definitely! It’s a great side dish to make the day before a party or pot-luck. Because the tortellini soaks up the dressing, I would recommend reserving the dressing or making an extra batch of dressing and keeping it in a separate container. Just before serving, add the addition dressing and toss together.
Check out my Healthy Homemade Italian Dressing recipe! It tastes amazing and much better than store-bought! You might also like my Lemon Olive Oil Dressing and my Honey Balsamic Dressing as well.
How long will tortellini salad keep in the refrigerator?
I wouldn’t keep any leftovers for more than 5 days. Because of the Parmesan cheese and the cheese inside the tortellini, the freshness of the pasta salad isn’t as good as when it’s first made.
Can you freeze Italian pasta salad?
No, I wouldn’t recommend it.
What goes with Italian Pasta Salad?
Here are a few of my grilling recipes that go wonderfully with this Italian Pasta Salad:
- Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
- Salsa Burgers
- Grilled Caprese Chicken
- Grilled Steak Kabobs
- Brown Sugar Balsamic Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Balsamic Rosemary Steak
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken
- Italian Grilled Chicken
- BBQ Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
- Grilled Pineapple Chicken
- Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
If you loved this delicious tortellini pasta salad, be sure to check out these other salad recipes:
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- Greek Tortellini Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Strawberry Fluff Salad
- Snickers Apple Salad
- Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Italian Caprese Tomato Salad
- Italian Chicken Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Deviled Egg Potato Salad
Here’s the easy, delicious recipe for my Italian Tortellini Salad:
Italian Tortellini Salad
The perfect pasta salad for any pot-luck, picnic, cookout or backyard barbecue! This delicious tortellini salad is loaded with all of your Italian favorites, like salami, tomatoes, olives, banana peppers, red onion, and topped with Italian dressing and shredded Parmesan cheese! The ultimate side dish for any meal!
Ingredients
- 10 oz. small or medium cheese tortellini pasta (tri-color or regular)
- 1 (5 oz.) pkg, mini pepperoni's
- 1 c. cherry tomatoes (red and/or yellow), quartered
- 1 (3.8 oz.) can, black olives, drained
- 1/2 c. red onion, diced
- 1/2 c. jarred mild yellow banana peppers, chopped
- 1 c. Italian salad dressing
- 1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let set to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mini pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and banana peppers. Toss with the cooled tortellini pasta. Add the dressing and cheese and toss all ingredients to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve chilled.
- Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. Will keep for up to 5 days refrigerated.
My homemade Italian Dressing is a better-tasting option to store-bought, bottled dressing. It takes just a few minutes to whisk together and the flavor is superior!
Ingredients I recommend:
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 514mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g
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