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Pesto Tortellini Salad is a quick and easy, Mediterranean-inspired pasta salad that’s perfect for parties, cookouts, potlucks and random weeknight dinners! It’s abundant with bold flavor from briny black olives and capers, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, fragrant basil pesto, peppery arugula and citrusy lemon. Read on for more!
Bursting with savory flavor, this quick and easy Pesto Tortellini Salad is my go-to year-round for get-togethers large and small. It requires very little cooking and prep, comes together in just over twenty minutes and can be enjoyed chilled, warm or at room temperature.
Besides loving tortellini in soup, and creamy pasta dishes, I just adore using them in pasta salads–it’s a total game changer! It adds another dimension of texture and richness that everyone seems to love. And, for some reason, I’ve always thought that pesto and tortellini were a natural flavor marriage like tomato and basil, sausage and peppers and peanut butter and jelly. They just go together!
And, a fragrant pesto makes almost everything better. Check it out in this orzo pasta salad with pesto, pasta with ricotta, these roasted potatoes and in these baked meatballs. In all of these recipes, pesto provides most of the amazing flavors, as it does here.
With ingredients like basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, pesto is, basically, all the seasoning that you’ll need for this tortellini salad. When tossed with other classic Mediterranean ingredients like artichoke hearts, olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes and lemon, this Italian-style pasta salad will definitely be the hit at your next bbq. Mangia bene!
For an amped up version of this salad with cured meats, sharp cheese and other Italian ingredients, check out this Tortellini Antipasto Salad-so delicious and hearty!
Ingredients for Pesto Tortellini Salad
I kept this pesto tortellini salad fairly simple with few ingredients. Use the best quality that you can, as they will truly make a difference. To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- 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: With delicious ingredients like fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, pesto is the perfect savory and fragrant dressing for this Italian tortellini salad. You can use either homemade pesto or store-bought for this recipe.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice adds zest and bright citrusy flavor to the pasta salad. For increased lemon flavor, add zest of one lemon to the dressing. (Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing them!)
- Olives, Capers, Sun Dried Tomatoes: These ingredients add the perfect amounts of brininess, sweetness and salt to this Italian pasta salad. Kalamata olives are a good substitute here for oil-cure black olives.
- Artichoke Hearts: Rich, savory and tender, meaty artichoke hearts are a perfect flavor and texture complement to the other Mediterranean ingredients in this pesto tortellini pasta salad.
- Baby Arugula or Spinach: While optional, I love the flavor and color that greens add to this recipe, especially the pepperiness of arugula.
How to Make Pesto Tortellini Salad, Step-by-Step
Anybody can make this easy pesto tortellini salad recipeand be successful! Here are the main steps:
- Make the dressing by whisking together the pesto, lemon juice and black pepper in a bowl that is large enough to hold all the other ingredients. Set this aside.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently.
- PRO TIP: 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.
- When the tortellini is al dente (it only takes a couple minutes!), drain them well in a colander, quickly rinse them with cold water, then add them to the bowl with the pesto dressing. 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, fold in the arugula or spinach (if including), artichoke hearts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and capers and gently stir until well-combined.
- PRO TIP: Add a light drizzle of high quality extra-virgin olive oil or a bit more pesto if you feel the salad needs a bit more moisture or if you prefer additional dressing.
- You can certainly serve this dish warm immediately. Otherwise, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour to serve a traditional chilled pasta salad. Sprinkle with some toasted pine nuts, if desired, at the time of serving. That’s it!
Check out my answer to “How Much Salt Should You Add to Pasta Water?” here, as featured in Appetito’s online Italian Food and Drink Magazine.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While homemade pesto is fabulous (and you can find my homemade pesto recipe here), you can purchase already made basil pesto for this recipe.
Basically, don’t overcook the pasta! Like all hot pasta recipes, pasta for a chilled pasta salad should be cooked until al dente. This means that it should still be firm to the bite. Al dente is an Italian phrase that means “to the tooth” and it refers to the degree of cooking of the pasta.
Al dente pasta is less likely to become mushy or soggy when mixed together with other ingredients. Generally, the proposed cooking time on a pasta’s packaging will give the cooking time to achieve al dente texture, but you should still become comfortable with testing the pasta yourself by biting it. If it sticks to your teeth but is not tough, it’s ready. If you bite right through the pasta with ease, you’ve over cooked the pasta.
Also, unlike hot pasta dishes, you may want to rinse the cooked pasta with cold water after cooking. This will remove excess starch and cool the pasta which can help the salad from becoming soggy.
Cooked pasta tends to continue to absorb whatever sauce it’s in as it sits. (Assuming a delicious sauce, this is a good thing!) In the case of 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’re chilled.
Many people say that tossing the cooked pasta with a bit of oil before mixing it with the dressing or other ingredients will help to slow down this absorption process. But, in my humble opinion, a pasta salad with pasta that’s absorbed some dressing (i.e., flavor) is much more appetizing than one that hasn’t. So, I generally don’t do this and will just add some additional dressing as needed.
TOP TIPS FOR PESTO TORTELLINI SALAD
- Dressing: For increased lemon flavor, add 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest.
- 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. Pair it with your cookout favorites or other classics such as bbq chicken or ribs, chicken cutlets and Italian sausage. You can also enjoy this recipe as a hot pasta entrée (and I have many times)!
- Make In Advance: Make this pesto pasta salad up to two days in advance of serving. If you do, though, I suggest adding the arugula or spinach (if including) right before serving. Also, taste and adjust the seasonings again right before serving and add more dressing if the salad appears dry.
- 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.
- Substitutions and Variations:
- I used a traditional basil pesto here. But, this recipe would work with other pestos like sun-dried tomato or roasted red pepper pestos.
- Other great mix-ins include bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), red onions, roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes and nuts (almond, pistachio and walnuts are my favorites).
- Turn this into more of an entrée by adding shredded rotisserie chicken or cubes of salami.
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 pesto tortellini pasta salad, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Easy Pesto Tortellini Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen cheese tortellini + salt for water
- ¾ cup pesto at room temperature, either homemade or store-bought (about 6 ounces)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Pinch black pepper
- Large handful baby arugula or baby spinach (optional)
- 1 cup artichoke heart quarters
- ½ cup black, oil-cured olives, pitted and lightly chopped
- ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (drained of any oil)
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- Extra virgin olive oil (if needed; see NOTES.)
- Toasted pine nuts (optional garnish)
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.)¾ cup pesto
- Make the dressing by whisking together the pesto, lemon juice and black pepper in a large bowl. Set this aside.¾ cup pesto, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, Pinch black pepper
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then cook tortellini, stirring frequently.2 pounds fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
- When the tortellini is al dente (it only takes a couple minutes!), drain them well in a colander, quickly rinse them with cold water, then add them to the bowl with the pesto dressing. 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, fold in the arugula or spinach (if including), artichoke hearts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and capers and gently stir until well-combined. Add a light drizzle of high quality extra-virgin olive oil or a bit more pesto if you feel the salad needs a bit more moisture or if you prefer additional dressing.Large handful baby arugula or baby spinach, 1 cup artichoke heart quarters, ½ cup black, oil-cured olives,, ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ cup capers,, Extra virgin olive oil
- You can certainly serve this dish warm immediately. Otherwise, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour to serve a traditional chilled pasta salad. Sprinkle with some toasted pine nuts, if desired, at the time of serving. Buon Appetito!Toasted pine nuts
Notes
- This recipe yields about 9 cups salad. I figured about 1 cup per portion but adjust accordingly. You can easily batch this recipe up or down based on your needs.
- 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.
- For increased lemon flavor, add zest of one lemon to the dressing. (Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing them!)
- I used tortellini in this recipe, but any medium-sized short pasta would work well. If you plan on enjoying this recipe as a hot dish and not a salad, long pasta would work as well!
- Since the olives and capers are salty, I did not add any additional salt to this recipe. However, taste and adjust (add salt) as you please.
- You can make this salad up to two days in advance of serving, but I suggest adding the arugula or spinach (if including) right before serving if you plan on doing this. Also, taste and adjust the seasonings again right before serving and add more dressing if the salad appears dry.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature. Freezing is not recommended.
Such an easy and delicious salad to prepare! We enjoyed it warmed and cold the next day at a family luncheon! 😋 The combination of flavors is great! Looking forward to preparing other summer salads of Michele’s!!
So glad you tried it warm. I agree–it’s so versatile and can be eaten hot or cold!
Made this for our Memorial Day bbq. It was absolutely awesome! One of my favorite summer salads. Can’t wait to try some of Michele’s other salad recipes now that it is bbq season. Super easy recipe & Definitely recommend.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Eleanor! Thank you for the comment. 🙂
Like the name says, it was super easy to make. Everyone loved it!
I made this salad last night for a last minute dinner party and it was a huge hit! Very easy and will definitely make it again.