Tortellini Pasta Salad

This tasty Tortellini Pasta Salad is super easy to make and full of flavor with a simple to make homemade dressing. Best thing is you can make this in about 20 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Tortellini Pasta Salad

Servings: servings

Author: Jennie Duncan

Ingredients

Salad:

1 pound cheese tortellini cooked to al dente according to the package directions
8 ounces small mozzarella cheese balls (also know as mozzarella "pearls")
10 ounces cherry tomatoes (rinsed and halved)
1/2 medium red onion (finely chopped)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (thinly sliced)

Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the tortellini to al dente according to the package directions. Drain, and then rinse under cool running water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.
Once cooked drain the water and then rinse under cool running water to stop the cooking process. (TIP: Make sure to rinse well so your pasta salad it's soggy)
Next whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl.
Pour the cooked tortellini, mozzarella cheese balls, tomatoes, and red onion into the bowl with the dressing and toss well to coat.
Serve or store immediately or you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Right before serving, thinly slice the basil and gently stir it into the salad.

Notes

Do I rinse this pasta?

Normally for tortellini or basically any pasta you cook to serve hot, you do not rinse it. Rinsing pasta removes the starches from cooking it, thus not allowing any sauce to stick to it well for a hot pasta dish.

The only exception to this rule, is when you are making a cold pasta dish, like this Tortellini Pasta Salad.

How to Store:

Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. As it sits, the pasta will absorb liquid so you might need to add a splash more oil and vinegar before serving.

Nutrition