This pasta salad is packed with cheesy tortellini, salami, fresh vegetables, and fresh mozzarella. It's all topped off with our delicious homemade Italian dressing that's so easy to put together you'll wonder why you ever used store-bought!
For a different take on the same flavor, try ours Orzo Italian Pasta Salad.
Why our recipe?
- Filling enough to be the main dish, or serve up as a side dish.
- Homemade Italian dressing that's quick and easy to make and oh-so-delicious.
- Keeps well which is great for leftovers, make-ahead options and meal prep.
The dressing really takes this cold tortellini pasta salad up a notch. You can certainly use store-bought if you want, but our dressing recipe is super easy to pull together – and it's full of freshness! This pasta salad is so filling that it can be served as a meal by itself. It also makes a great barbecue or potluck dish.
Material notes
- Cheese Tortellini: You can use the fresh, refrigerated variety, the frozen variety, or the boxed dry option found with other pastas. Follow package directions to determine cooking time.
- Fresh mini mozzarella balls: The item you are looking for may be called Mini Mozzarella Balls, Bocconcini, or Mozzarella Pearls. Other great cheeses are diced block mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and cheddar.
- Olives: A can of chopped black olives is a great option, or you can go green.
- Salami: You can also mix and match your proteins in our Cold Tortellini Pasta Salad recipe. Here are a few ideas to inspire you: grilled chicken, steak, chickpeas, tuna.
- Vegetables: We love our Italian-style variety, but you can get creative with different vegetables. Try cucumbers, red or yellow peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower or asparagus.
- Red Onion: If the red is still too strong, you can use chopped green onions.
- Pepperonis: You can replace banana with chilli.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes also work and you can use red or yellow.
- Salad Dressing: You can make your dressing with fresh herbs over dry. You'll want to use one tablespoon of finely minced fresh herbs for every teaspoon of dried herbs that the recipe calls for.
Tortellini alternative
When it comes to making that shopping list or grocery order, you may notice that there are three options to choose from when it comes to tortellini. Also, you start seeing some flavor options as well.
Fresh Tortellini: They are available in the refrigerated section of grocery stores in a plastic container rather than a bag. They are usually sold in 9 ounce and 20 ounce quantities. This recipe calls for 20 ounces, but 18 ounces will be enough. These will end up with the best texture of all your options, but they're also the most expensive. Follow package directions for cooking times, usually a few minutes in boiling water.
Frozen tortellini: They are more affordable than fresh and are usually sold in bags of up to 19 ounces or 3 pounds. Although this recipe calls for 20 ounces, 19 ounces will suffice. They tend to be more mushy than fresh or dried, so be sure not to overcook and follow package directions for al dente.
Dried tortellini: These are found in the pasta aisle and are the most affordable of all the options. It's a little more shelf-stable and can be a lifesaver for instant dinners. Cooking time is usually a little longer than fresh or frozen, so follow the directions on the box to make sure your tortellini are perfectly al dente.
Flavors and Colors: Among all these options you'll find different flavors of tortellini—cheese, spinach and cheese, cheese and tomato, etc.—and colors of pasta, especially green and tri-colored. Any and all of these can be used.
Pasta tip: Prevent clumping
There are two things you can do to prevent your pasta from sticking together. First, be sure to rinse your tortellini with cold water as soon as you remove them from the boiling water. Next, before you start adding the other ingredients, pour half of the dressing into a bowl with the pasta and mix. Only then should you start adding the cheese, salami and vegetables. The added moisture from the oil in the dressing will prevent it from sticking!
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make this chilled tortellini pasta salad up to a day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate. The salad will absorb more flavor from your dressing if you let the pasta sit for at least an hour before serving.
Storage instructions
Keep in fridge Tortellini pasta salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days. After three days the vegetables will not have the same crisp texture.
