Italian Tortellini salad works as an appetizer, side dish, or even as a lunch! It’s an easy to make pasta salad, made flavorful with ingredients like pepperoni, fresh veggies, both parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and of course cheese tortellini. This is a salad that’ll definitely hit the spot!

italian tortellini salad

Italian Tortellini Salad

Summer is HERE! I know, I can’t believe it either. While I don’t know if I’m ready for the heat of the summer quite yet, I do know that I’m definitely ready for all of my favorite summer festivities to start – block parties, backyard barbecues, picnics, the works! While Italian Tortellini Salad is delicious year round, it really shines during the summer at all of those gatherings. With that being said, though, I also love to enjoy this pasta salad as a lunch! It keeps me full until dinner and satisfies all of my cravings. If you love this recipe, try out our very best Macaroni Salad this summer too, it’s a classic!

Can I make Italian Tortellini Salad ahead of time?

You sure can! In fact, this salad needs about an hour or 2 to chill prior to serving anyways. When I plan on serving this pasta salad at a party, I usually make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge while I prepare myself and/or my house. I love serving dishes at parties that don’t need to be fresh from the oven when served, because it really relieves some of that last minute stress!

ingredients for italian tortellini salad

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad

  1. Cook the tortellini. Cook the cheese tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse gently with cold water.
  2. Toss the salad. Add cooled tortellini to a large bowl. Top with the pepperoni, tomatoes, artichokes, onion, mozzarella, and olives. Mix gently. Add the parmesan and Italian dressing, mix well to combine. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning and pepperoncini peppers.
  3. Chill. Refrigerate salad for 1-2 hours before serving.

Storing Italian Pasta Salad

In an airtight container in the fridge, this Italian Pasta Salad will stay fresh for about 3 days. Just keep in mind that after the first day, the ingredients may start to soften from the dressing. It’ll still taste just fine, but the consistency won’t be quite the same.

Ingredients Notes for Italian Pasta Salad

  • Onion – I only ever use red onion in this pasta salad! Red onions have the most potent onion-y flavor, which helps it stand out more in this bold combination of ingredients. If red onion is too bold for you, use green onions instead.
  • Cheeses – It may seem unnecessary, but preparing fresh cheeses from the deli as opposed to buying pre-shredded baggies of cheese always yields the best results with both consistency and flavor.  If you only have bagged cheese, that is totally fine, use what works for you!
  • Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes are always what I tend to use, but grape tomatoes work just as well.

tortellini italian pasta salad in a bowl

Enjoy!

~Nichole

5 from 8 votes

Italian Tortellini Salad

Italian Tortellini Salad - This easy to make pasta salad is full of cheese tortellini, pepperoni, cheese, veggies, and Italian dressing.  The perfect addition to summer potlucks, or an easy weeknight dinner!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Total 20 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients 

  • 20 Ounces Cheese Tortellini
  • 4 Ounces Pepperoni, Sliced
  • 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced
  • 1 Can Artichoke Hearts, Chopped
  • 1/2 Large Red Onion, Diced
  • 8 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese, Cubed
  • 1 (3.8 ounce) Can Sliced Black Olives, Drained
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Cup Italian Salad Dressing
  • 1/4 Cup Pepperoncini Peppers
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

Instructions 

  • Cook the cheese tortellini according to package directions.  Drain and rinse gently with cold water.  
  • Add cooled tortellini to a large bowl.  Top with the pepperoni, tomatoes, artichokes, onion, mozzarella, and olives.  Mix gently.  Add the parmesan and Italian dressing, mix well to combine.  Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning and pepperoncini peppers. 
  • Refrigerate salad for 1-2 hours before serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
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Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I just made this and doubled the recipe for my fathers birthday tomorrow. It is delicious, of course I already had some. Thanks I will be making it again.