Tortellini Salad Recipe
on Mar 12, 2024
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This fresh, tangy Tortellini Salad makes a great addition to any meal. The tortellini is coated in a variety of rich flavors to keep you coming back for more every time.
Are you looking for a quick and easy side dish? Well look no further than this delicious tortellini salad! We are always looking for fun, flavorful sides that we can add to our weekday meal rotation. Our tortellini salad is full of crisp, light vegetables and sharp parmesan cheese.
The Italian dressing perfectly coats the pasta and vegetables to fill each bite with the perfect blend of zesty and savory flavors. If you aren’t a fan of Italian dressing then don’t worry! You can easily customize your tortellini dressing with any other kind of homemade or store-bought salad dressing.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes just as good as the original fast food sauce.
- Balances sweet and savory flavors with easy-to-find ingredients.
- Makes a great addition to anything it’s used on.
Recipe Ingredients
- Tortellini—Cooked and drained. Feel free to use any kind of tortellini!
- Cherry Tomatoes—Cut in half or quartered.
- Zucchini—For a fresh, crisp crunch in the salad.
- Red Onion—Adds a little bit of sweetness to the salad.
- Baby Spinach—You can also use regular spinach or kale.
- Parmesan Cheese—Freshly grated.
- Italian Dressing—We like the tangy, herby flavor of this dressing, but feel free to use your favorite salad dressing.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Tortellini Salad
Step #1. Portion out all of your ingredients and dice zucchini, onions and tomatoes.
Step #2. Cook your tortellini according to the package directions and make sure all your veggies are diced.
Step #3. Toss the tortellini, zucchini, red onion, spinach, Italian dressing, and parmesan cheese together in a large mixing bowl.
Step #4. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
While most tortellini does not come in a shelf-stable box like most pasta, it still needs to be cooked. Most refrigerated tortellini will need to cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to fully cook the dough. We always recommend cooking your tortellini according to the package directions before using it for this recipe.
We love the zesty, tangy flavor that comes with using a classic Italian dressing; however, you are more than welcome to use any kind of salad dressing in this recipe. Ranch dressing will give your salad a richer, creamier texture. Balsamic vinaigrette can be used to introduce some acidity to the dish. We like to experiment with our dressing to modify the flavor of our tortellini salad.
It is really up to you! We like to use five-cheese tortellini, but you can also use beef and cheese or spinach and cheese tortellini. The kind of tortellini you use will not have a major effect on the overall flavor of the salad since everything will be coated in dressing and grated parmesan cheese. With that in mind, feel free to use your favorite kind of tortellini!
How to Store Your Leftover Salad
You can cover your salad with plastic wrap and store it in the original mixing bowl or transfer it to an airtight rubbermaid container. You can store your salad in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you know you are going to be storing your salad then you’ll want to hold off on adding the dressing until you are ready to serve your tortellini salad so the spinach doesn’t get soggy.
Serving Ideas
This salad can be served alongside a variety of dishes. We like to pair our tortellini salad with my favorite meatloaf, pork chops, easy baked chicken, or any other protein-heavy entree. You can also serve this salad as a stand-alone meal by adding some diced grilled chicken to the dish.
Expert Tips
- Feel free to use your favorite kind of tortellini for this recipe. We like to use five-cheese Giovanni Rana tortellini.
- In addition to using cherry tomatoes, red onion, and baby spinach, you can use green/black olives, cucumber, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, celery, or peas.
- We like to top our salad with extra tomatoes or some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- You can cut your tomatoes in half or quarter them.
- Storing your salad without any dressing will help prevent the spinach from getting soggy in the fridge.
More Salad Recipes To Consider
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Tortellini Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bag tortellini, 18 ounces, cooked
- 1 ¼ cup diced cherry tomatoes
- 1 ¼ cup diced zucchini
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ¾ cup Italian dressing
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook and drain your tortellini and cut your veggies if you haven’t already.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss your tortellini, zucchini, red onion, spinach, Italian dressing, and Parmesan cheese until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any kind of tortellini for this recipe. We like to use Giovanni Rana.
- Other veggies you can use include black/ green olives, cucumber, broccoli, and butternut squash.
- Store your salad in the mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Your salad will be good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- If you know you are going to be storing your salad then you will want to omit the dressing and drizzle it over individual servings of salad. This will help prevent the baby spinach from getting soggy in the fridge.
- We like to top our salad with extra tomatoes or Parmesan cheese.
- You can cut your tomatoes in half or quarter them.
