Tortellini Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Serves 6 | Total time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Active time: 25 minutes

Every potluck has one bowl that empties first. Around here, it's this one.

The trick is swapping ordinary pasta for cheese tortellini, so every bite already comes with a little something extra. Pile in salami, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives, and a handful of basil, then toss it all in a homemade Italian dressing that puts the bottled stuff to shame. It's as satisfying as it is colorful.

Best of all, this tortellini pasta salad actually wants to be made ahead. A couple of hours in the fridge lets the flavors meld into something bigger than the sum of its parts, which means you can cross it off the list before the first guest pulls into the driveway — and focus on what's coming off the built-in grill instead.

Ingredients

For the Salad

• Cheese tortellini
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Red onion, thinly sliced
• Pitted Kalamata olives
• Fresh mozzarella balls
• Salami or pepperoni
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Baby spinach or arugula
• Fresh basil, chopped

For the Dressing

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Honey
• Garlic
• Dried oregano
• Salt
• Pepper

How to Make Tortellini Pasta Salad

1. First, cook the tortellini in a large pot of salted water according to package directions until al dente. Then drain and rinse under cold water and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well until emulsified.
3. Next, pour half of the dressing over the warm tortellini and toss gently to coat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
4. After that, add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, mozzarella, salami, Parmesan, spinach, and basil to the bowl with the tortellini.
5. Finally, pour the remaining dressing over the top and toss gently to combine all the ingredients.
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld before serving.

Dress It While It's Warm

The step that makes this salad sing is pouring the first half of the dressing over the tortellini while it's still warm. Warm pasta drinks up flavor in a way cold pasta never will, so the tortellini itself tastes seasoned through rather than just coated. The rest of the dressing goes on at the end to keep everything glossy and bright.

What to Serve It With

This salad was built for the cookout table. Set it next to grilled chicken, burgers, or a ribeye and it rounds out the plate without competing with the main event. If you're feeding a crowd from a custom outdoor kitchen, it's the rare side you can finish hours before the coals are even hot.

Credit: Recipe courtesy of Insanely Good Recipes

If backyard hosting is becoming your thing, we'd love to help with the setup behind it — grills, outdoor kitchens, and patio furniture, all here in Post Falls. Stop by the showroom or schedule a free consultation and let's talk about your space.