A flavor-packed, easy tortellini pasta salad recipe made with cheese tortellini pasta, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, pesto, and basil.
Ingredients
119 ounce package cheese tortellini
¾cuppesto
1cupcherry tomatoeshalved
1cupmini mozzarella pearls
¼cupbasilthinly sliced
salt and pepperto 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.