Tortellini Pasta Salad

Tortellini pasta salad is not your average pasta salad! For starters, let's talk about the tortellini: Other pasta salads just have pasta; this one has cheese-filled pasta, which is clearly a win! This recipe is also packed with tons of delicious Italian recipe staples like fresh mozzarella, black olives, sliced salami, and zippy pepperoncini peppers. Tossed together with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, this pasta salad is a party in a bowl—it'll be a hit at your next summer cookout.

What's in tortellini pasta salad?

First up—tortellini, a stuffed pasta like ravioli (more on that just below). Next, fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini. Then, some flavor-packed items: salami, black olives, spicy pepperoncini peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes, which team up with finely grated parmesan to give the dressing a rich, savory flavor.

What tortellini is best for pasta salad?

Tortellini comes in all different pasta shapes and flavors, from frozen to dried to refrigerated, from four-cheese to spinach and beyond! After testing and tasting all these varieties, we found that they all work fine, but refrigerated and frozen are typically larger than dried and their filling has a smoother texture.

Can tortellini pasta salad be made ahead?

This pasta salad can be made ahead—up to three days, in fact! Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container so that it doesn't dry out. Let it warm up slightly before serving and be sure to toss it to redistribute the delicious sun-dried tomato dressing. (It's also fantastic freshly made when the cheesy tortellini filling is still warm!)