This easy Tortellini Pasta Salad features tender cheese tortellini in a bright and zesty sun-dried tomato vinaigrette with all your favorite Italian mix-ins like salami, mozzarella pearls, olives, roasted tomatoes, and fresh basil.

This is the perfect pasta salad recipe for a potluck when you don’t want a heavy mayo-based dressing. It’s a light and refreshing recipe that truly everyone will love!

Tortellini Pasta Salad

When it comes to a backyard BBQ, I am all about the sides! I love a main like grilled tri-tip or a classic cheeseburger, but I’m really here to pile my plate sky high with side dishes.

Whether it’s my mom’s classic potato salad, baked beans, or an Italian pasta salad, I just can’t help myself!

That being said, I’m not always in the mood for a heavier mayo-based dressing and that’s where this tortellini pasta salad recipe comes in! It’s zesty and bright thanks to the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette and it’s layered with crunchy veggies and fresh ingredients–truly the epitome of summer.

You’re going to love how quickly and easily this recipe comes together–you’ll be the star of any potluck or picnic!

How to Make Tortellini Pasta Salad

This recipe truly couldn’t be easier to make in the summer time. I do highly recommend investing in an immersion blender–it’s one of my most used kitchen tools for making sauces and dressings at home.

Tools Needed

• Pasta Salad Bowl
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Wide-Mouth Pint Mason Jar
• Immersion Blender

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Tortellini. You can really use your favorite store-bought tortellini here with just about any filling variation! I opted for simple cheese tortellini, but you can use whatever you like.
• Baby mozzarella. I love the little ciliegine mozzarella balls, but you can also use any fresh mozzarella cut up into bite-sized pieces.
• Salami. Look for the little logs of hard salami (my favorite brand is olli or columbus) so that they’re easy to dice.
• Roasted red peppers. I love buying these in the jar for ease, but you can also roast and peel your own red bell peppers here.
• Castelvetrano olives. These are my absolute favorite olives because they have the best texture and flavor. You could swap in a different variety, if desired. Whatever olives you use, just make sure they’re pitted.
• Basil and Arugula. I love the fresh element that these add to the pasta salad, but you could omit either if you’re not a fan.
• Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. We’re making our own dressing here with sun-dried tomatoes, dried herbs, white balsamic, olive oil, lemon zest, dijon mustard, and lemon juice. It’s so fresh and bright! You could also swap in just about any Italian vinaigrette recipe, store-bought or homemade.

The Process

1. Cook the tortellini. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch.
2. Make the vinaigrette. In a wide-mouthed pint-size mason jar, combine the dressing ingredients. Use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until they’re very smooth and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. Alternatively, you can blend the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
3. Assemble the tortellini pasta salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked tortellini, red onion, roasted bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, olives, salami, and mozzarella. Toss with enough dressing to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the pasta salad for 1-2 hours, until chilled. Right before serving, toss the pasta salad with the fresh basil and arugula.

Making Your Own Dressing

I love a hearty salad at home, so I’m all about making my own dressings and vinaigrettes at home! Instead of a heavy mayo-based dressing for this tortellini pasta salad, I really love how bright and fresh this sun-dried tomato vinaigrette is.

Whenever I’m making a vinaigrette at home, I almost exclusively use a wide-mouth pint jar and an immersion blender. I love this method because you just dump all the ingredients into the mason jar and blend them up–no streaming in the olive oil or adding the ingredients in stages.

Not only that, but once you’re finished blending the dressing, it’s already housed in its storage container. This works for just about any vinaigrette you can think of, plus my blender hollandaise recipe.

What to Serve with Tortellini Pasta Salad

This is truly a hearty and delicious side dish that could work as a main, but it’s so great as a summer side dish for a picnic, potluck, or BBQ. Here are some of my favorite mains to serve alongside this tortellini pasta salad:

• Grilled Tri-Tip
• Giant Italian Picnic Sandwiches
• Grilled Steak Sandwiches
• Classic Grilled Cheeseburgers
• Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp
• Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken
• Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

Storage Instructions

Any leftover tortellini pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the basil and arugula will probably wilt some in the fridge, but that’s okay!

Any leftover sun-dried tomato vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let the dressing come to room temperature before serving.

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This Tortellini Pasta Salad is the summer side dish you need in your life! It’s fresh, bright, and perfect for your next potluck or backyard BBQ. If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Summer Salad Recipes

Thai Steak Salad
Italian Grinder Pasta Salad
Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad
Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad
Cucumber Yogurt Salad

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