Tortellini Pasta Salad is perfect for spring and summer meals, made with fresh ingredients and delicious bright flavors! This Italian Tortellini Salad is made with classic Italian flavors, but you can mix it up to suit your own flavor preference. Ready in less than 30 minutes, it’s a perfect hearty side dish for a full BBQ spread, but it’s also great as a filling lunch any time of year! It’s also great for meal prepping at the beginning of the week, as it lasts for up to 4 days in the fridge. We love to serve it with BBQ Chicken, Grilled Potatoes in Foil and Easy Broccoli Salad for an easy but delicious summer meal! Some of my other favorite pasta salad recipes are BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad, and Creamy Ranch Bowtie Pasta Salad, or check out my complete list of 30+ Pasta Salad Recipes for even more inspiration!
Ingredients Needed:
Pasta: obviously I love to use fresh or frozen tortellini pasta in this salad, but any pasta will work. Simply cook to al dente and then cool. Prosciutto: crispy prosciutto takes this salad to a whole new level, but it can be a bit pricy. You can swap for some crisp bacon if you prefer. Spinach: spinach adds a pop of green and nutritional value. Feel free to swap for romaine or other greens if you like (this is basically a fancy BLT pasta salad, after all) Roasted red peppers: I use jarred, store-bought roasted red bell peppers. They are an easy and inexpensive way to add lots of flavor to lots of dishes. You can roast your own if need be, or swap for sun-dried tomatoes. Tomato: I used one Roma tomato but you could also use ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. Italian dressing: if you can, don’t go for the cheapest salad dressing here. I love to use a sun-dried tomato, parmesan pesto, or tuscan italian dressing, or you can make your own homemade Italian dressing! Mayonnaise: I’ve used plain mayonnaise in this recipe, but you could use a flavored mayo or even Spicy Mayo for a bit of extra flavor! Cheese: use a fresh block of Parmesan cheese that you grate yourself for the best flavor.
How to Make Tortellini Pasta Salad
This recipe is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
Tips and Notes
Other Pasta: You can use your favorite kind of pasta for this dish. Simply cook to al dente, drain, and cool before adding to the salad. Leftovers: Use leftover pasta in this recipe to give it new life! Your pasta just needs to be cooked and cooled.
Tortellini Pasta Salad Variations
Tortellini: Use your favorite variety of tortellini pasta for this recipe. Meat-stuffed tortellini works as well! Jazz it up: Add some diced cucumber, kalamata olives, or green onions! Greek Tortellini Salad. Use Greek feta cheese instead of Parmesan, and substitute the prosciutto and red peppers for black olives and cucumber, then serve with a drizzle of Olive Oil and some oregano to make this into a Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad. Fresh herbs: Fresh basil, parsley or oregano would work well as a garnish. Cheese: Mozzarella cheese will go with the Italian flavors in this recipe, but you can use your favorite kind of cheese to match the flavors you decide for this dish.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this classic pasta salad on its own, or with some sides to bulk it out a bit. Try some extra veggies on the side like Corn on the Cob, or Air Fryer Broccoli. This dish would work well with some bread on the side too, try my classic Garlic Bread, these Homemade Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls, or this No Knead Artisan Bread.
More Summer Salad Recipes
Layered Broccoli Salad
Creamy Italian Potato Salad
No Mayo Garlic Herb Potato Salad
German Potato Salad
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