Italian Tortellini Salad {Perfect Pasta Salad}

Italian Tortellini Salad made with cheese tortellini, tomatoes, salami, olives, basil, zesty homemade Italian dressing and more! This hearty pasta salad can be served as a main dish or side dish.

Our Greek Tortellini Salad has been a reader favorite for years! I am so glad you guys love it.

Let me introduce you to another favorite, our Italian Tortellini Salad. If you like the Greek salad, I know you will love this Italian version. It only takes 30 minutes to make and can be served as a main dish or side dish.

My boys LOVE this pasta salad and every time I take it to a party or potluck, I leave with an empty bowl. That is always a good sign:)

Salad Ingredients

This tortellini salad is loaded with all of your favorite Italian ingredients!

• Cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)
• Tomatoes (grape or cherry)
• Black olives
• Red bell pepper (yellow, orange, or green would be good too)
• Red onion
• Salami (if you need the salad to be vegetarian, you can leave out the salami.)
• Pepperoncini peppers (You can use mild or medium, they add great flavor!)
• Parmesan cheese
• Basil

You could also add: pepperoni, chicken, prosciutto, ham, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, capers, or Italian parsley. Feel free to mix it up!

Italian Dressing

The salad gets dressed with a simple homemade Italian Dressing. Of course, you can use your favorite store bought Italian dressing, but my homemade dressing is the BEST!

And I promise it only takes a few minutes to whisk up. Plus, you can made it in advance. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

How to Make Italian Tortellini Salad

• Cook the tortellini according to package instructions, you want it to be al dente. Don’t over cook the pasta or the tortellini will fall apart.
• Drain and rinse with cold water. Place the tortellini in a large bowl.
• Add the goodies, the tomatoes, olives, red bell pepper, onion, salami, pepperoncini, Parmesan cheese, and basil.
• Drizzle with Italian dressing, making sure the salad is well coated, and toss well.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled.

And if you want to serve garlic bread, caprese garlic bread, or bruschetta on the side, GO FOR IT! I always say yes to more carbs!

How to Store

You can make this salad in advance, but don’t toss the salad with all of the dressing, only use half of the dressing and reserve the rest for later. Adding some of the dressing will prevent the tortellini from sticking together and it will give all of the ingredients flavor while it’s chilling in the fridge.

When you are ready to serve the salad, add the remaining dressing and toss. This will freshen it up. I also like to garnish with more basil and Parmesan cheese right before serving.

Keep the dressed salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The leftovers are great! Sometimes, I sneak a few bites right from the container, don’t tell Josh:)

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Photos by Molly

Thanks for Sharing!

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below! You can also share a picture on Instagram! Tag @twopeasandpod and use the hashtag #twopeasandtheirpod.