Tortellini Pasta Salad (2024)

Tortellini is one of those multi-purpose foods that tastes great hot or cold, and this dish is no exception. Cheese tortellini pasta salad is hearty enough to eat as a lunch, yet light enough to serve at a picnic or potluck. Our tortellini pasta salad recipe whips together in just 20 minutes, including time for the pasta to cook. The hardest part is avoiding the temptation to eat too much of it before you put it away to cool.

Ingredients for Tortellini Pasta Salad 

• Cheese tortellini: The cheese in tortellini makes it an extra delicious, extra fun type of pasta salad. The cheese adds a bit of protein and makes the dish heartier than a macaroni-based salad. Feel free to use refrigerated or frozen tortellini.
• Sweet red pepper: The julienned red pepper brings pops of color to this pasta salad.
• Green pepper: Green pepper strips team up with the red peppers for an interesting play in color and crunch.
• Red onion: Red onion adds pops of flavor, texture and color to this pasta salad. If you’re not a fan of onions, feel free to omit them.
• Ripe olives: Rings of zesty olives add umami to this dish. We like using black olives in our tortellini pasta salad.
• White wine vinegar: White wine vinegar is light in taste and perfect for the vinaigrette dressing in this tortellini pasta salad.
• Fresh mint or dried mint flakes: Mint brings fresh flavorful notes that play well against the savory flavors in this recipe.
• Lemon juice: The tartness of lemon juice gives the dressing a citrusy, fresh flavor.
• Seasoned salt: Seasoned salt adds a melange of flavors to the vinaigrette that coats the pasta in this dish. Use your own favorite seasoned salt blend, or feel free to use a salt-free seasoning blend to keep the sodium level lower.
• Garlic powder: Even the flavored form of garlic brings bold flavor to a vinaigrette.
• Red pepper flakes: The tiniest touch of crushed red pepper flakes adds dots of heat to the dressing in this tortellini pasta salad.
• Crumbled feta: Because everything tastes better with more cheese. Feta teams up with the olives for a delectable tanginess that permeates this pasta salad.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the tortellini

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, then drain and rinse the pasta in cold water. Place the tortellini in a large bowl and add the peppers, onions and olives, mixing them together lightly.

Step 2: Make the dressing

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, mint, lemon juice, seasoned salt, garlic powder, pepper and pepper flakes; secure the lid and shake vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad, then carefully stir until everything is coated. Cover the dish and refrigerate it for at least four hours, then serve it with feta sprinkled on top.

Tortellini Pasta Salad Variations

• Add cherry or grape tomatoes: Tortellini pasta salad is the perfect place to add those fresh-picked cherry or grape tomatoes you’ve harvested or picked up at the farmers market. Smallish tomato varieties with “sweet,” “sugar” or “flavor bomb” in their name add a delicious, flavorful contrast to this dish.
• Try pepperoncini: Pepperoncini peppers add color, crunch and a zesty flavor, particularly when pickled. Look for jars of pepperoncini near the pickles at the supermarket.
• Spruce it up with salami: Cubes of salami or ham are delicious in tortellini pasta salad. The savory flavors of these cured meats are the perfect accompaniments for salads with an oil and vinegar dressing.

How to Store Tortellini Pasta Salad

Tortellini pasta salad keeps for up to four days when tightly covered and kept in the refrigerator. This makes it a great candidate to prepare the day before a picnic or family get-together. For the best taste, enjoy your refrigerated tortellini pasta salad within two days.

Can you freeze pasta salad with tortellini?

While you technically could freeze this tortellini salad, the textures of its various components, such as the peppers or olives, would be different when it thaws, making it less enjoyable to eat later. The dressing ingredients may also separate.  

Tortellini Pasta Salad Tips

How can I tell when the tortellini is done cooking?

Tortellini usually cooks in the time estimated on the package, but there’s an even better indicator: The pasta will float when it’s done cooking.

Can I make this a main dish?

Sure! Like other pastas, tortellini pasta salad goes with so many foods. Add chunks of rotisserie chicken, grilled salmon or even some garlic butter shrimp to make this a meal. Opportunities abound here for incorporating leftovers, particularly light-tasting proteins.

Can I use a different vinegar?

Absolutely try another vinegar if you’d like to enhance the flavor of this cheese tortellini pasta salad. White wine vinegar is fairly mild, while red wine vinegar is a bit sharper in flavor. Balsamic vinegar offers a mildly sweet, yet still tangy flavor, and apple cider vinegar adds slight apple notes.