Cheese-filled tortellini pasta brings a fun twist to a classic side dish! This pasta salad with Italian dressing is as easy as it gets and oh so tasty!
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Hello, sweet, sweet summertime! It's SO good to be reunited with sunshine, warm weather, patio drinks and get-together's with friends! Well, I guess these days gatherings are a little different....social distance style!
No matter what this year's summer get-togethers look like, I hope they're still full of delicious food. When I think of summer, burgers, baked beans, fresh fruit, pasta salad and cold drinks make for the ideal meal!
Does pasta salad need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Once you've mixed the salad, go ahead and keep it in the fridge. It'll stay good for at least 5 days in the fridge and the leftovers are delish!!
Making Pasta Salad in Advance
Pasta salad is best after it has some time for the flavors to soak into the pasta. Therefore, I like to make a pasta salad a day or two in advance.
When you're ready to serve the pasta salad, give it a stir. If it needs a little more dressing, add a couple tablespoons at a time until it it's got enough for your liking.
What ingredients do I need to make tortellini pasta salad?
Pasta: (Yeah, I know. Surprise, surprise! ;)) For this recipe, I use cheese-filled tortellini. I love the texture of the tortellini and the extra flavor the cheese brings to the salad.
Veggies: Here's what I love about pasta salad - it's so versatile! Don't like cucumber? Don't add it. Prefer yellow peppers over red peppers? Go for it. Love olives? Add those too! Want to add some meat? Add some diced pepperoni or salami. The options are truly endless.
Dressing: If you have an Italian dressing recipe you love, you can certainly use homemade dressing. However, I find the roasted red pepper Italian dressing (from Kraft, I believe) good and super flavorful. I also really love the Olive Garden Italian dressing that's available in stores. Again, use what you like!
Other delicious pasta salad recipes
BLT Pasta Salad - How good does this fun twist on a pasta salad sound?!
Potluck Pasta Salad - This salad uses spaghetti for the pasta. Unique, creamy and delish!
Creamy Bacon Broccoli Pasta Salad - Bacon?? Need I say more?? 🙂
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Get the (printable) recipe for Tortellini Pasta Salad below!
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz bag* frozen cheese-filled tortellini pasta
- ½ c frozen peas thawed
- 1 c grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ c chopped red onion
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper diced
- ¾ c roasted red pepper Italian dressing**
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water; drain.
- Add the pasta, peas, tomatoes, onion and peppers to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing and stir.
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