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Take your pasta salad game to the next level with this Tortellini Pasta Salad. Just combine cheese tortellini, pepperoni, cheese, mixed veggies, and pine nuts and toss all of that with a bold red wine vinaigrette. A new go-to for lunch? Dinner? Get-togethers? Yes, all of the above!

I’m back today to share another winning pasta salad recipe with you. This time we’re making this crazy delicious Tortellini Pasta Salad. As you may know, I’m a huge fan of pasta/macaroni salad. Over the years I’ve posted more than a dozen pasta salad recipes on IBC.

I even have another tortellini based pasta salad recipe. This Tortellini Antipasto Pasta Salad is such a treat. I know you’ll love this recipe too!

tortellini pasta salad in a large bowl and on plates on a table.

TABLE OF CONTENTS hide

1 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

2 Ingredients

3 How to Make

4 Recipe Notes and Variations

5 Tortellini Pasta Salad

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s unique! – After having pasta salad made with tortellini you may never want to go back to “plain old” pasta!
Loaded with flavor. – I love a pasta salad with lots of ingredients. This one has plenty which really ups the flavor level.
It’s a crowd-pleaser. – I made this recipe for my family reunion and it was GONE. Everyone was asking for the recipe too.

I’m especially excited to add this recipe to my collection because this is the first time I’ve used tortellini in a pasta salad. It’s a game-changer. Pasta is wonderful, of course, but cheese-filled pasta is even better!

I put this particular recipe together using classic pasta salad mix-ins: tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, cheese, pepperoni, nuts, onion, and pepperoncini. This combination hits all the flavors and textures that I love. However, this recipe is user-friendly so you can add whatever you love or have on hand.

close up of tortellini pasta salad in a large bowl.

My only warning to you is that if you have a big bowl of this sitting in your refrigerator (like I currently do), it’s going to be super hard not to eat it for every meal. Trust me, I can hear the pasta salad calling my name as I write this. It’s that tasty!

Now that you’ve been warned, let’s whip up a batch.

Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to whip up a big bowl of this tortellini pasta salad!

For the pasta salad:

cheese tortellini
cherry tomatoes
olives
cucumbers
pepperoni
mozzarella pearls
sharp provolone cheese
pepperoncini
pine nuts
red onion

For the dressing:

extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
garlic cloves
sugar
fresh basil and parsley
dijon mustard
flake sea salt and ground black pepper

How to Make

I’ll walk you through the steps here. I’ve also provided a full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card below.

Start by cooking the pasta. I prefer the tortellini pasta that you can find in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. It’s typically near the deli or specialty cheese section.
Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente. (For me, this was between 6 and 7 minutes.) Then, drain the pasta and run cold water over it. This stops the cooking process and also prevents the tortellini from sticking together.

Next, chop all of the other ingredients so they’re ready to toss in the salad. When possible, I like to make everything around the same size. The exceptions are intensely flavored things, such as olives, pepperoncini, and onions. Again, use what you love.

Once everything is chopped, you’re ready to make the dressing. Just toss everything in a bowl and whisk to combine. I recommend using flake sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can add as much as you like.

Finally, put everything in a large bowl and gently stir to distribute all of that goodness.

You’ll want to let this Tortellini Pasta Salad hang out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving so the flavors can combine and some of the dressing can soak in the pasta. (Of course, all of us cooks know it’s OK to sample a little bowl before putting the salad away to cool.)

Recipe Notes and Variations

Want to prepare this recipe in advance? You can! As I mentioned above, this recipe is best when it can sit for a couple hours so making in a few hours in advance is no problem.

If you want to prepare it a day early, I would recommend assembling everything without the dressing and tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and dressing the day of and you’ll be good to go!

Make it your own!

As with any pasta salad this recipe is really flexible. Include the ingredients you love. Don’t like olives, leave them out. Want more crunch add in chopped carrots.
Try a different tortellini. There are many different tortellini flavors and fillings. Have fun experiment with different varieties.

And that’s it! Your Tortellini Pasta Salad is ready to serve!

This pasta salad recipe is one that I’m sure to come back to time and time again. I hope you and your family and guests like it as much as I do.

More Pasta Salad Recipes You Will Love

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