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!
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls These stainless steel mixing bowls are an essential cooking tool for every kitchen.
- Wooden Spurtle Tools This 5-Piece Wooden kitchen tool set is amazing and great for use in non-stick cookware. No scratches and no plastic!
- Cutting Boards This 3-Pack of non-slip cutting boards are a fantastic tool for every home cook.
- Santoku Knife This 7" santoku knife comes with a bonus 5" knife. Sold through Macy's and at an AMAZING price I've never seen anywhere!
Ingredients
- 20 oz. cheese tortellini pasta tri-color or regular, frozen, refrigerated or dry
- 1 (5 oz. pkg.) mini pepperoni
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes red and/or yellow, halved
- 1 (3.8 oz. can) black olives, sliced drained
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1/2 cup jarred mild yellow banana peppers chopped
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- pepper to taste
Instructions
Tortellini Pasta prep:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the tortellini 1 minute less than package directions. (For example if using refrigerated tortellini, directions say 2 minutes to boil, only cook for 1 minute.) For dry or frozen tortellini, cook 1-2 minutes less than package directions. This is so the pasta stays firm and doesn't become mushy in the salad.
- Once done cooking, immediately remove the pasta from the boiliing water and transfer to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Let the pasta cool completely. Once cool, drain from the water and rinse with additional cold water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Assembling the tortellini salad:
- In a large mixing bowl with the cold tortellini, add the mini pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and banana peppers. Add the dressing and cheese and toss all ingredients to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve chilled.
Making in Advance of an event?
- If you're making this salad in advance of an event like a potluck, BBQ or gathering, assemble as directed. Instead of pouring the full 1 cup of dressing on the salad, coat the ingredients with only 1/2 cup of the dressing. Just before serving, add the remaining dressing and stir together to coat the ingredeints.
Notes
Storage: 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!
For this simple homemade Italian dressing you'll need the following: 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. garlic salt, and 1/2 tsp. ground pepper. Whisk all of these ingredients together, as use as needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 16gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 3618mgPotassium: 175mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 414IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 258mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!