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A fresh summertime side this Tortellini Pasta Salad has vegetables, pasta, cheese and pesto making it a delicious and flavorful hit for any gathering.

I’m a pasta salad type of gal, and I’m not one to really pass any up. This Tortellini Pasta Salad is one of my favorites, I absolutely love tortellini and use it whenever I can.

With the added ingredients in this, such as vegetables, cheese, and pesto, really makes this salad fresh and inviting, the perfect dish to bring to any cookout or gathering.

Of course, you can make this at home and serve it alongside any dish, preferably when you are grilling out. That is what we like to do, summer is grilling season for us here.

And what goes better with grilled food than a nice pasta side and this Tortellini Pasta Salad is one perfect dish to finish up and make any meal complete.

Some of our other favorite pasta salads that we have on our site include: Classic Pasta Salad, Tuna Pasta Salad and Ranch BLT Pasta Salad.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Minimal and easy-to-find ingredients helps this come together quickly.
You can easily switch out the ingredients to your preference.
The addition of the cheese tortellini takes it up a notch.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):

Frozen cheese tortellini
Pesto
Cherry tomatoes
Mozzarella balls
Red onion
Kalamata olives
Cucumber
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil

HOW TO MAKE A TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD:

Boil a large pot of water. Add in the cheese tortellini. Boil for 1 ½ minutes. Do not follow the package instructions.
Drain and immediately rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl add the tortellini, pesto, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, red onion, kalamata olives, cucumber, salt, and pepper.
Mix until fully incorporated.
Top with the basil and serve immediately.

WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND MOZZARELLA BALLS?

Usually, you can find the mozzarella balls at your local grocery store, where you find the larger balls of mozzarella.

If they do not carry them or you cannot find them, you can either cut a large ball into pieces or you can substitute the mozzarella with feta.

If the balls are too big for your liking, you can also slice them in half as well.

DO I HAVE TO USE FROZEN TORTELLINI?

We prefer to use frozen but not cooked all the way because it will turn too soft. You can use fresh tortellini but again, just make sure that you do not cook it all the way. Just to al dente is all you need.

WHAT OTHER VEGETABLES CAN I USE?

Some other vegetable substitutions include: black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomatoes, shallots, zucchini, etc.

This salad is really tasty the way it is, but add or omit/substitute whatever you’d like as long as it goes well with the pesto it will taste great.

HOW TO STORE:

This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 5 days. The pesto might soak up into the pasta, so you can add more to make it more saucy.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Fresh cheese tortellini can be used, see tips above.
This salad goes great with burgers, steak, chicken and shrimp.
Easily double this recipe to serve more people.
If you are not a fan of tortellini you can swap out with the same amount of pasta of another kind.
We do not recommend freezing this.
Other vegetables can be substituted, see suggestions above.
If you cannot find mozzarella balls, use a large ball and chop it up or substitute with feta.
Homemade Pesto can be used.

Love a good side dish that is super easy to make and comes together in no time but is also delish? Then you need to try my Tortellini Pasta Salad!

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If you’ve tried this TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!

Tortellini Pasta Salad