Tortellini Pasta Salad
This divine Tortellini Pasta Salad is easy, delicious, and packed with wholesome ingredients. Grilled chicken is paired with cheese tortellini, fresh pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese!
Pasta salad is a delicious and refreshing dish that combines cooked pasta with fresh vegetables, meats, cheeses, and a flavorful dressing. The pasta is usually cooked al dente and then chilled before being mixed with the other ingredients. This pasta salad is set apart from the rest by using cheese tortellini instead of regular pasta. This adds amazing flavor and texture and takes regular old pasta salad to a whole new level!
This tortellini pasta salad recipe is perfect for picnics, potlucks, or as a side dish for barbecues and tailgates. It’s even a great change from the heavy dishes at most holiday gatherings! It’s easy to make, has very little prep time needed, is customizable, and always pleases a crowd. I’ve included a detailed step-by-step guide so you can make the best pesto pasta salad!
Want more easy salads? You will love my cucumber salad, antipasto salad, and healthy chickpea salad.
Ingredients
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients needed to make the perfect pasta salad with chicken and tortellini. To get the complete, printable recipe scroll to the recipe card.
- Tortellini: you can use your favorite variety, but we use a plain cheese, gluten free tortellini since this dish has so many other great flavors and textures.
- Cooked chicken: this can be grilled, rotisserie, or leftover chicken.
- Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are the easiest and look the prettiest, but if you have garden fresh slicing tomatoes dice those up; they will work too.
- Fresh mozzarella balls: for this recipe, I suggest using small mozzarella pearls; they are the perfect size.
- Parmesan cheese: grated parmesan, also called powdered parmesan is needed.
- Balsamic vinegar: adds excellent depth and flavor to this recipe.
How to Make the BEST Tortellini Pasta Salad
In addition to the ingredients listed above you will just need a pot to boil the pasta in, as well as a large mixing bowl to mix the salad. To make the absolute best pasta salad follow the easy instructions below.
Cook the Tortellini
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add the tortellini to the boiling water and very gently stir. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, likely 3-4 minutes total. Be sure to cook the pasta to a nice al dente texture so it holds up nicely in the pasta salad.
Once the tortellini is cooked, drain and rinse under cool water. Be sure not to use a full strength flow on your faucet so you do not risk bursting the pasta. Gently rinse the tortellini with water for about 20 seconds, drain well and place in the fridge to cool for about 15 minutes.
Add Chicken, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella
Next, add the chopped, cooked chicken, sliced cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls to the bowl with the chilled tortellini salad. Keep in mind you want to slice the chicken and tomatoes into nice bite size peices.
Add Dressing Ingredients
Lastly, add the pesto, parmesan, and balsamic vinegar. These three ingredients make a creamy, herby, flavorful dressing that compliments the other ingredients perfectly! This is truly an impressive dish that everyone will love!
Serve
Chill the salad about 30 minutes before serving. This gives the ingredients a chance to meld and maximizes the flavor. This is a complete meal on it’s own because it contains, carbohydrates, protein and veggies. It is an excellent potluck meal because it can be made in advance and easily served. Feel free to garnish with fresh basil, some oregano, or even a sprinkle of finely chopped red onions.
Salad Variations
- Protein: switch things up with tuna, drained and rinsed chickpeas, and sliced meats like pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto.
- Vegetables: add in chopped spinach, kale, shredded carrots, broccoli, or heirloom tomatoes.
- Dressing: instead of balsamic vinegar and pesto you can use your favorite Italian dressing or simply oil and vinegar.
- Flavor Makers: olives, artichokes, pepperochini peppers, and other fresh herbs are excellent additons that add loads of flavor.
Storage
Pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Pasta does absorb moisture as it sits, so you may need to add a little more balsamic vinegar, pesto or olive oil to freshen up the pasta salad.
You can leave pasta salad at room temperature for 90 minutes, up to 2 hours. After this, you will need to discard the salad. I would not recommend freezing the salad as the textures will not hold up.
If you love Pasta Salad you will Also Love:
- Cold Asparagus Salad – Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and avocado are bulked up with tasty asparagus in a simple vinaigrette! Great for lunches or a light meal.
- Asparagus Tomato Panzanella Salad – This impressive salad combines the fresh flavor of asparagus, tomato, and herbs with the hearty, healthy fats in bread, oil, and mozzarella. It’s filling and great for cookouts!
Pasta Salad FAQs
Yes, it’s very important to not overcook the pasta! Overcooked pasta can be too soft and will fall apart in the salad. The marinade will continue to soften the pasta as it sits, so cook until just al dente.
At room temperature, pasta salad is only safe to eat for about 2 hours — It should be thrown out if left out longer than that. If pasta salad is stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it can last up to 2-3 days! Simply refresh with a little extra balsamic vinegar and parmesan, then you’re good to go.
Get the Recipe: Tortellini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs cheese tortellinii, use a gluten free version if on a GF diet
- 1 ½ cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
- ¾ cup basil pesto
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese pearls
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to package directions, drain, place them in a large bowl and then place them in the fridge to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Once cooled, add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss until well combined. Chill for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Once chilled, toss again and serve!
Notes
- This recipe will keep for about 2 hours out at room temperature. After that, it needs to be discarded!
- This recipe is cheesy, zesty, and really herby! It’s perfect for a pesto and cheese lover! You can use any type of tortellini for this pasta salad!
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken in this recipe for the best flavor!
- This pasta salad also makes a great light lunch with the chicken and pasta, but it’s also great for a potluck or BBQ! It’s easy to make ahead, and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
