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Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad is basically a loaded pasta salad–in the best way ever! It’s flavor- and texture-packed with classic antipasto platter top hits like Italian cured meats, cheeses, pickled and fresh veggies, olives, artichokes, chickpeas, dried tomatoes and more combined with tender, rich tortellini pasta in an aromatic pesto, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar dressing. It may just be the most hearty pasta salad out there. Mamma mia!
I once read that “if you can dream it, you can absolutely antipasto it”. While this might sound like a reach, it definitively works in the world of pasta salad recipes (and Easter meat pies)! It turns out that the briny, salty, tangy, crunchy and bold flavors of a classic Italian antipasto improve the standby potluck dish immensely!
What Exactly Does Antipasto Mean?
Antipasto is an Italian term meaning “before the meal” and generally refers to a selection of bite-sized pieces of cured meats, cheeses, olives and pickled/fresh vegetables arranged on a platter and enjoyed family-style as an appetizer before the main course. (Some refer to this as a charcuterie plate.)
In the context of this recipe, it means combining traditional antipasti ingredients with pasta (here, cheese tortellini) to create a hearty, satisfying and tasty dish that can stand on its own as a side or main course.
Or, in other words, the pasta salad of all pasta salads.
So. Many. Ingredients!
I get it–it may seem like this salad has everything but the kitchen sink in it! There are, indeed, lots of different flavors and textures by design–very much like a traditional antipasto platter!
Feel free to think of the amounts in this salad as a guideline and adjust the ingredients up or down based on your preference. You can omit some of the ingredients if you’d like and still have a delicious salad! That’s one of the beauties of this recipe. It’s very versatile and I encourage you all to make the recipe your own with your individual touches and tweaks. Be creative!
Between this antipasto salad recipe with pasta and my pesto orzo salad, panzanella salad and no mayo Italian potato salad recipes, your contributions to any summer get-togethers are completely covered. Here’s to summer cookouts!
Ingredients for Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad
Here are the ingredients we’ll be using for this antipasto pasta salad with cheese tortellini:
- Pasta: I used cheese tortellini in this recipe for its richness and great texture, but any medium-sized short pasta would work well, such as shells, bow-ties and fusilli pasta.
- Pesto: This fragrant basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil sauce is the best complement to all the bold flavors in this tortellini antipasto salad. Use either store-bought or homemade pesto in this recipe. If you’d prefer, you can also use a good Italian dressing instead.
- White Wine Vinegar rounds out and balances all the rich flavors in this dish. You can also use red wine vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Italian Salumi: Pick one or use a combination of your favorite cured meats here. I used soppressatta and fennel salami. Heavily seasoned pepperoni is also a great option as is prosciutto, capicola or bresaola. (For a vegetarian version of this salad, you can leave out the meat or check out my Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pesto.)
- Sharp Provolone Cheese: It wouldn’t be an antipasto salad without this pungent cheese–the sharper the better! The aged, piquant flavor of sharp provolone varies a lot from the creamy cheese tortellini filling and is a nice contrast.
- Pickled Banana Peppers/Pepperoncini: These sweet and tangy pickled peppers contribute extra flavor and a slight kick. Use hot vinegar peppers if you prefer.
- Bell Peppers, Red Onion: Both add freshness, crunch and color to the salad. Use roasted red peppers in place of fresh if you prefer, but they will lack the crunch. Red onion tastes great raw and is sharp enough not to get lost in the sea of other ingredients.
- Artichoke Hearts: Rich, savory and tender, meaty artichoke hearts are a perfect flavor and texture complement to the other Mediterranean ingredients in this recipe. Herby marinated artichokes can be used if you have them.
- Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes: These ingredients add the perfect amounts of brininess and sweetness to this Italian antipasto pasta salad. Use your favorite black/green olives. I love using black, oil-cured and Sicilian Castelvetrano olives when possible.
- Tomatoes: Use either grape, pear or cherry tomatoes, or a combination, in any color. Slice them in half or in quarters lengthwise, based on their size.
- Chickpeas: A hearty legume that adds texture, flavor and Italian-ness.
- Baby Arugula: Like Shrimp Arugula Pasta, I love the light, peppery flavor and color that arugula adds to this pasta recipe, balancing out its flavor. Baby spinach is an option as well.
How to Make Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad
This pasta salad recipe is all about the prepping and chopping. In fact, the only thing that needs to be cooked are the tortellini. Here are the steps to make it:
- Make the dressing by whisking together the pesto, olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook tortellini until al dente and drain them well in a colander and rinse quickly with cold water. Carefully mix the pasta and dressing together until the pasta is well-coated. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes then stir it again carefully.
- Next, carefully fold in the cured meats, artichoke, chickpeas, cheese, fresh tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pickled peppers, bell peppers, onions, arugula and basil and gently mix until well-combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 1 hour to serve a traditional chilled pasta salad. That’s it!
- PRO-TIP: If you feel the salad needs a bit more moisture or if you prefer additional dressing, add a bit more olive oil or pesto.
If you love tortellini, check out this Creamy Tortellini alla Panna with Ham and Peas recipe–so delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
100% yes. Use your favorite small- to medium-sied dry pasta.
Don’t overcook the pasta! It should be cooked until al dente, which means that it should still be firm to the bite so it will not become mushy or soggy when mixed with other ingredients.
Also, unlike hot pasta dishes, you should rinse the cooked pasta with cold water after cooking. This will remove excess starch and cool the pasta down quickly and stop the cooking process. This will prevent overcooking as well.
Cooked pasta absorbs whatever sauce it’s in as it sits. With chilled pasta salads, many of which are oil- or mayonnaise-based, they may appear dry and require additional dressing as they sit or after they’ve been refrigerated. Just have some extra dressing on hand to add to the salad as needed.
TOP TIPS FOR ANTIPASTO TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD
- Dressing: A basic Italian salad dressing can be substituted for the pesto/olive oil/vinegar dressing in a pinch.
- Cooking The Pasta: It’s important to cook the pasta properly (to al dente doneness) so as to prevent a soggy salad. Al dente pasta is less likely to become mushy or broken when mixed together with other ingredients.
- Serving: Serve the salad immediately or refrigerate for at least 1 hour to serve a traditional chilled pasta salad. With so much protein, this salad can really stand on its own. Pair it with other party salads in smaller portions.
- Make In Advance: You can make this italian tortellini pasta saladup to two days in advance of serving, but I suggest adding the onion, arugula and basil right before serving if you plan on doing this. Also, taste and adjust the seasonings again right before serving.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature. Freezing is not recommended.
- Variations: Feel free to think of the amounts in this antipasto tortellini salad as a guideline and adjust the ingredients up or down based on your preference. You can omit some of the ingredients if you’d like and still have a delicious salad! That’s one of the beauties of this recipe. It’s very versatile and I encourage you all to make the recipe your own with your individual touches and tweaks. Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Use chickpeas in place of pasta for a gluten-free and protein- friendly salad.
- Substitute some of the fresh, pickled or brined vegetables with a purchased giardiniera (mixed Italian pickled vegetables).
- Turn this pasta into a potato salad! Follow the potato cooking instructions in my Italian Potato Salad recipe and proceed with the rest of this recipe.
More Great Recipes to Try
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog and all of my Italian recipes and Italian-American recipes!
If you’ve tried Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup pesto at room temperature, either homemade or store-bought (about 4 ounces)
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ Tbsp white wine vinegar
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Pinch black pepper
- 2 pounds cheese tortellini + salt for water
- 12 ounces assorted cured meats, diced, such as soppressatta, fennel salami, pepperoni
- 12 ounces artichoke hearts quartered (can be marinated; see NOTES.)
- 1 (15-ounce) can cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 6 ounces sharp provolone cheese, diced
- ½ cup grape, cherry or pear tomatoes, cut in half or quartered lengthwise if large
- ½ cup black or green olives, pitted and lightly chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, drained of any oil
- ⅓ cup sliced pickled banana or pepperoncini peppers, drained (sweet or hot)
- ½ yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
- ½ small red onion, sliced thinly (optional)
- 1 large handful baby arugula
- 1 small handful fresh basil leaves, chopped or hand-torn
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Make pesto if you do not have any on hand. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)½ cup pesto
- Make the dressing by whisking together the pesto, olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes and black pepper in a bowl that is large enough to hold all the other ingredients. Set this aside.½ cup pesto, 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1½ Tbsp white wine vinegar, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, Pinch black pepper
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently.2 pounds cheese tortellini
- When the tortellini is al dente (it only takes a couple minutes!), drain them well in a colander and rinse them quickly under running cold water. Then, carefully mix the pasta and dressing together until the pasta is well-coated. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes then stir it again carefully.
- Next, carefully fold in the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Note: I did not include salt in the ingredients due to all the salty ingredients but add some if you would like.) If you feel the salad needs a bit more moisture or if you prefer additional dressing, add a bit more olive oil or pesto.12 ounces assorted cured meats,, 12 ounces artichoke hearts, 1 (15-ounce) can cooked chickpeas,, 6 ounces sharp provolone cheese,, ½ cup grape, cherry or pear tomatoes,, ½ cup black or green olives,, ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes,, ⅓ cup sliced pickled banana or pepperoncini peppers,, ½ yellow bell pepper,, ½ small red onion,, 1 large handful baby arugula, 1 small handful fresh basil leaves,
- Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 1 hour to serve a traditional chilled pasta salad. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- This recipe yields about 11 cups salad. I figured about 1+ cup per portion but adjust accordingly. It’s a large portion for a big get-together and can be reduced or doubled based on your crowd size.
- Plain or marinated artichokes can be used. Also, if you have some extra time and would like to roast the artichoke hearts, like I did here, drain (and/or defrost, if frozen) plain (not marinated) artichoke hearts fully and pat them dry. Then, toss them with olive oil and roast them in a hot (400/425°F) oven in a single layer on a sheet pan until starting to brown and crisp. Cool before combining with other ingredients. (This is completely optional.)
- Tortellini generally take a very short amount of time to cook once the water comes back to a boil (only 1 to 3 minutes!). Stay close by so that they do not overcook.
- I used tortellini in this recipe, but any medium-sized short pasta would work well, such as rotini or bow-ties.
- Since many of the ingredients are salty, I did not add any additional salt to this recipe. However, taste and adjust (add salt) as you please.
- Feel free to think of the amounts in this salad as a guideline and adjust the ingredients up or down based on your preference. Like a traditional antipasto platter, there are a lot of different textures and flavors present. You can omit some of the ingredients if you would like and still have a delicious salad!
- You can make this salad up to one day in advance, but I suggest adding the onion, arugula and basil right before serving if you plan on doing this. Also, taste and adjust the seasonings again right before serving.
- Another option is to prep (chop) all the ingredients one day in advance and then make the salad on the day it will be served.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature. Freezing is not recommended.
Wow-what a pasta salad! This was the first to go at least week’s bbq. Will be making it all summer.