Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad

A flavor-packed, easy tortellini pasta salad recipe made with cheese tortellini pasta, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, pesto, and basil.

I am certain that you will agree that it is the perfect cold pasta salad recipe for summer parties and barbecues, like my classic tri color pasta salad recipe and grinder sandwich pasta salad.

We often make a bowl to enjoy alongside lunch or dinner. It goes especially well with sandwiches, hamburgers, or chicken.

This cold tortellini pesto pasta salad is also wonderful on its own as a light lunch or dinner, especially on hot summer days.

Ingredients

You will need:

• Cheese tortellini 
• Pesto
• Cherry tomatoes
• Mini mozzarella pearls
• ¼ cup basil, sliced thinly 
• salt and pepper, to taste

To save time and make the recipe super easy I use pre-made pesto for this recipe. Just grab a container of fresh basil pesto from your grocery store’s refrigerated section.

Additions and Substitutions

• MOZZARELLA: If you can’t get your hands on mini mozzarella pearls you can use larger pearls halved or a large chunk of mozzarella, chopped into bite-size pieces
• TOMATOES: You can substitute cherry tomatoes with grape tomatoes or regular size tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces.
• PASTA: Don’t care for tortellini? You can use rotini, elbow macaroni, fusilli, or small shells instead.
• KALAMATA OLIVES: A handful of drained kalamata olives make a great addition to this pasta salad
• RED ONION: Try adding 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped red onion for added flavor.

How to Make Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad

1. Cook tortellini al dente. Drain and rinse, reserving a bit of the cooking water for the next step.
2. Mix pesto with 1/4 cup cooking water. Add the tortellini and toss to coat. Stir in more cooking water if necessary.
3. Add in the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Prep ahead: You can prep your pesto pasta salad up to a day in advance. For best results, wait to add the fresh basil until just before serving and give the salad a quick toss with a bit of olive oil.

Recipe Tips

Fresh is best – While fresh cheese tortellini is best, frozen tortellini will also work in this recipe— just make sure to adjust the cooking time based on the package directions. 

Salt your pasta water – Add about 2-3 tablespoons of salt when the water comes to a boil.

Cook tortellini until just al dente – To avoid a soggy pasta salad cook until just al dente. Check your pasta packaging directions for cook time and start checking it at 1 minute before the recommended time.

More easy summer side dish recipes

• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Old-Fashioned Potato Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• No-mayo Coleslaw
• Red Potato Salad
• Boston Baked Beans

Recipe

Recipe

4.92 from 12 votes

Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad

Author: Jaclyn

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

A flavor-packed, easy tortellini pasta salad recipe made with cheese tortellini pasta, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, pesto, and basil.

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 19 ounce package cheese tortellini
• ▢ ¾ cup pesto
• ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• ▢ 1 cup mini mozzarella pearls
• ▢ ¼ cup basil thinly sliced
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot of boiling water, cook the tortellini al dente according to the instructions on the box. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and rinse with cool water.
• In a large bowl, whisk the pesto together with ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Add the tortellini and toss to coat evenly. If the sauce is too dry, add more of your reserved pasta water. 
• Add in the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
• Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature!

Notes

While fresh cheese tortellini is best, frozen tortellini will also work in this recipe— just make sure to adjust the cooking time based on the package directions. 

To avoid a soggy pasta salad cook until just al dente. Check your pasta packaging directions for cook time and start checking it at 1 minute before the recommended time.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 198kcal

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