This Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad is super easy and fast to make. Bursting with flavor from only a few ingredients and ready in about 15 minutes! It is a real crowd pleaser that can be made ahead of time. The perfect light lunch or side dish to any summer party, potluck or bbq.
This tortellini pasta salad with pesto is easy and fast to make with just a few ingredients. Use your favourite flavor of tortellini, I used spinach and ricotta but cheese tortellini is another favourite.
The dressing couldn’t be easier to make. A mix of store bought pesto (or homemade) and lemon juice makes a flavor bomb of a dressing. The sweet cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes add a lot of flavor to this salad. Just like in this gluten free and protein packed Red lentil pasta salad.
Pasta salads are so versatile and perfect for meal prep and can be served all year round! It can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, perfect to bring to the pot luck, bbq or summer picnics. Just like this Caprese pesto pasta salad or this Lemon orzo salad with feta.
Jump to:
Ingredients
All that is needed to make this tortellini salad with pesto are just a few ingredients listed below.
For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom or:
- Tortellini, use fresh, refrigerated cheese or spinach and ricotta tortellini, or flavor of choice.
- Red onion, ads a wonderful crunch and bite to this salad. Spring onions or shallots are another great option.
- Cherry tomatoes, I used a mix of colours cut in half. Grape tomatoes also works well.
- Sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil. Buy whole or ones that are already sliced, drain the oil and save that for another recipe.
- Parmesan cheese, grate or shave it with a vegetable peeler. I like larger pieces in this tortellini pasta salad. For a vegan option, use vegan cheese alternative.
- Fresh basil, this ads so much flavor to this pesto pasta salad.
- Pesto, use a good quality storebosugh basil pesto or homemade.
- Lemon, the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon ads a lot of freshness to this pesto salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this cheese tortellini pesto pasta salad is easy and fast. Follow the step by step photos below and watch the recipe video. For the full written recipe, see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Step 1: Cook the tortellini in salted water 30 seconds less then the package instructions. Add the pesto and lemon juice.
- Step 2: Toss well to combine.
- Step 3: Add the cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, parmesan cheese, fresh basil and lightly toss to combine.
- Step 4: Salt and pepper to taste and topping with some extra shaved parmesan cheese.
Substitutions
- Pasta – The tortellini can be substituted with other fresh pasta or a gluten free pasta if desired.
- Cheese – Substitute another cheese for the shredded parmesan. Mini mozzarella, goat cheese or feta cheese are some great options.
- Herbs – Instead of chopped fresh basil, other herbs like parsley or oregano also works well. The basil can also be left out or replaces with a little extra pesto if desired.
- Onion – The red onion, ads a nice crunch and bite to this salad. It can also be replaced with pickled red onion, copped spring onions or shallots. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out.
Another great salad to try is this Curried couscous salad or this Red lentil pasta salad.
Variations
- Vegan – For a vegan pasta salad, use a vegan tortellini, vegan pesto and a vegan cheese.
- Pesto – This recipe uses store bought basil pesto. Homemade also tastes amazing! Another option is to use red pesto or substitute the pesto for this Sun dried tomato vinaigrette.
- Greens – Add some arugula, baby spinach, chopped romain or greens of choice.
- Nuts – For a little crunch, add some toasted nuts of choice or pine nuts. For an allergy friendly salad, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are good options.
- Veggies – Add more veggies to this salad, some great options are bell pepper, chopped cucumber, artichokes, olives or your favourite veggies.
- Beans – Add some canned beans like kidney beans, chickpeas or cannellini beans. Any kind of beans will work in this tortellini pesto pasta salad, use your favourite. Also check out this Mediterranean white bean salad for a great bean salad recipe.
- Spicy – For a spicy pasta salad, add some red chill flakes or sliced fresh chili to taste.
For another easy to make side salad, check out this Quinoa and lentil salad or this Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad.
Storage
This easy tortellini pasta salad will keep for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
It is a great salad for meal prep, store in the fridge and serve throughout the week as a side dish or light lunch or dinner. After bering stored, toss the salad before serving.
This cheese tortellini pasta salad does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend that.
Top Tip
This summer tortellini pasta salad is bursting with flavor from the super easy dressing made from basil pesto and freshly squeezed lemon juice. For a super fast salad, use store bought pesto, or you can also make your own. Another option is to use red pesto made from sun-dried tomatoes, or substitute the pesto for this Sun dried tomato vinaigrette.
FAQ
Yes, this tortellini salad be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes, frozen tortellini also works great in this salad. Boil according to the package instructions before adding.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment down below, and tagging me at @thedeliciousplate in your picture on Instagram. Your feedback is so helpful! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to be sure not to miss my latest recipes!
This Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad is super easy and fast to make. Bursting with flavor from only a few ingredients and ready in about 15 minutes! It is a real crowd pleaser that can be made ahead of time. The perfect light lunch or side dish to any summer party, potluck or bbq.
- 20 ounce (560g) fresh spinach or cheese tortellini, or flavor of choice
- ½ cup pesto
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
-
Boil the tortellini 30 seconds less than the package instructions, immediately drain and rinse in cold water.
-
Add the tortellini to a large salad bowl and toss with the pesto and lemon juice.
-
Add the cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, parmesan cheese and basil, lightly toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste and top with some extra shaved parmesan cheese and basil if desired.
Leave a Reply