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This tortellini pasta salad recipe is packed with flavor from a few simple ingredients: cheese tortellini, pepperoni, sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and a super quick and easy homemade Italian dressing.
If there’s one summer side dish I make that everyone goes crazy for, this is it! It goes well with burgers, hot dogs, sausages, marinated chicken, steak, any just about anything else you can grill up. And it’s perfect for meal prep lunches during the week! Just make sure to store the arugula separate until serving so it doesn’t wilt.
This easy pasta salad whips up in just 20 minutes, and that’s including the time it takes to make your own Italian dressing! (And between you and me, make a double batch of the dressing because you’re going to love it on a green salad too.)
Make this for your next summer potluck or backyard barbecue, and watch how fast it disappears off the buffet table!
Why Your Whole Family Will Love This Recipe
- It’s interesting enough for adults, but the ingredients are familiar so kids aren’t put off. This side dish is a family-friendly crowd-pleaser!
- The cook will love this because it’s quick and easy to make with minimal effort and almost no cleanup.
- And the budgeter will be happy because this recipe very affordably feeds a crowd!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Homemade Italian Dressing Ingredients:
- Extra-virgin olive oil – Use the good stuff here! I love olive oil with a slightly peppery bite.
- Red wine vinegar – Or you can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Sugar – Use granulated white sugar here, or your favorite sugar-free sweetener. This helps create a balanced flavor profile.
- Dried minced onion – When I was developing this homemade Italian dressing recipe, I found that dried minced onion made a huge difference in adding savory depth of flavor.
- Dried Italian herb seasoning – With a variety of dried herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano, and marjoram, this one ingredient packs a huge punch.
- Salt and black pepper – These pantry-staple seasonings add a ton of flavor and make sure our salad dressing isn’t bland.
- Fresh garlic – This is the not-so-secret “secret ingredient” that makes this dressing something really special. Trust me here; I know it’s raw, but if you use one clove it won’t be too garlicky; we want a zippy dressing!
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Fresh cheese tortellini – If you can’t find this, you can substitute with frozen tortellini or dried tortellini; prepare it according to the package directions, drain, and cool.
- Cherry tomatoes – Or you can use any ripe, sweet tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces. Note that if you’re using whole tomatoes and cutting them and they give off a lot of juice, you may want to drain that off before adding the tomatoes to the salad.
- Sweet white onion – Red onion is another good option here. Don’t worry that the onion is raw; the vinegar and sugar in the dressing mellow it out so it loses its sharp bite, but keeps its bold savory flavor.
- Pepperoni – I use turkey pepperoni, but you can use any kind of pepperoni you like.
- Bocconcini – This is the small size fresh mozzarella cheese balls. If you can’t find this, you can get a block of mozzarella and dice it.
- Fresh basil leaves – Fresh basil adds bright flavor and aroma.
- Baby arugula leaves – I like to serve this pasta salad on a bed of baby arugula, but this is completely optional. You can use any type of leafy greens you like, or skip the greens if you prefer.
Instructions
Make the Italian Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a bowl.
- Whisk to combine. (Or add everything to a small jar, cover, and shake well.)
Chiffonade the Basil
- Remove the basil leaves from the stems.
- Stack up the basil, and roll it tightly into a log. When you’re stacking the basil, it’s helpful to put the largest leaf on the bottom so it holds all the other leaves in.
- Thinly slice the basil log into strips.
Cook the Pasta and Assemble the Salad
- Cook the pasta salad according to the package directions, drain, and cool.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl, then add the dressing and gently toss to coat.
Pro Tip: Let it Chill
You can serve this right away once it’s made, but it’s even better if you chill the pasta salad for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before serving. The flavors blend beautifully, and the pasta soaks up some of the dressing.
Storage
Store this pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Hold off on adding the arugula until right before serving so it doesn’t wilt.
Recipe Tips
- Look for cheese tortellini at the regular grocery with the fresh pasta, which is frequently in the same aisle as the dairy (it needs to be refrigerated). If you can’t find fresh cheese tortellini, you can use frozen tortellini or dried cheese tortellini and prepare it according to the package directions.
- If you’re pressed for time, you can use bottled Italian dressing in a pinch! But if you have the time (and a well-stocked pantry), this homemade salad dressing makes a huge difference and you probably already have everything you need to make it.
- Serving this on a bed of arugula is optional! I love the peppery bite of arugula to cut through the richness of the cold pasta salad. But if arugula isn’t your thing, simply omit it or use a bed of chopped Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, or whatever leafy greens you like.
Variations
- Go Greek – Omit the dried minced onion and sugar in the dressing, and the pepperoni in the salad. Swap out the red wine vinegar for fresh lemon juice, use dried oregano instead of dried Italian herb seasoning, and go with feta instead of mozzarella. Add 1 cup of chopped Kalamata olives.
- Make it creamy – Add 1/4 cup of mayo or Greek yogurt to the dressing.
- Bump up the vegetables – You can really go all out with the vegetables in this pasta salad! Add 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1 chopped broccoli crown, and 1 chopped cucumber to this salad. Or go with any chopped veggies you like, such as carrots, celery, zucchini, baby spinach, etc.
What to Serve with This Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe
- Grilled chicken or steak
- Hot dogs or sausages
- Burgers
- Sandwiches or wraps
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. If you’re making a cold pasta salad, go ahead and rinse your pasta in cool water. This immediately cools it down and stops the cooking process (aka carryover cooking), so the pasta doesn’t get softer than you want it to be. Additionally, if you’re serving the salad chilled anyway, rinsing the pasta means you’ll have to wait less time for it to cool down.
Unlike a lot of pasta recipes that recommend cooking the pasta to al dente or “to the tooth”, pasta for pasta salads should not be undercooked. It’s best to go a minute or two past al dente, so your pasta stays soft when it’s chilled. Essentially, cook it on the longer end of the cooking time range given on the pasta’s package.
(But friends, there’s a fine line between a minute or two past al dente and overcooked. Be careful not to overdo it because you don’t want the pasta mushy either!)
Yes! Pasta salad is the perfect side dish to make a day or two ahead, which means it’s an optimal choice for meal prep, as well as barbecues, potlucks, picnics, parties, etc. It’s even better the next day because the pasta absorbs the flavor of the dressing.
More Summer Salads to Try
- Salad Shirazi – This is the Persian cucumber and tomato salad that goes with everything!
- Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad – This salad pairs fresh and roasted veggies with nutrient-packed quinoa for a deliciously healthy and filling side dish that can double as a full meal.
Let’s Connect
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Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe
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Ingredients
Homemade Italian Dressing:
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 clove garlic crushed
Pasta Salad:
- 9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini cooked according to the package directions, drained, and cooled (see Notes)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet white onion or red onion
- 1 cup turkey pepperoni chopped (or any kind of pepperoni you like)
- 8 ounces bocconcini fresh mozzarella cheese balls
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chiffonade cut
Other:
- 4 cups baby arugula leaves optional
Instructions
For the Dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a small jar, cover, and shake well. (Or you can add everything to a bowl and whisk to combine.)
For the Pasta Salad:
- Add all ingredients to a bowl, then add the dressing and gently toss to coat.
To Serve:
- Serve the pasta salad on a bed of baby arugula if desired.
Video
Notes
- Serving Suggestion: You can serve this right away, but it’s even better if you chill the pasta salad for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before serving.
- Storage: Store this pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Hold off on adding the arugula until right before serving so it doesn’t wilt.
- Cheese Tortellini: At the regular grocery store near me, fresh pasta is in the dairy aisle (it needs to be refrigerated). If you can’t find fresh cheese tortellini, you can use frozen tortellini or dried cheese tortellini and prepare it according to the package directions.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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