This Zesty Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad is packed with bell peppers, cucumber, pepperoncinis, and cheese tortellini tossed in a simple lemon Italian dressing. Everyone will enjoy this vegetarian make-ahead friendly cold pasta salad!
Reader Love
We LOVE this recipe! I have made it several times now this summer and it is always a hit ;-). No one has tired of it and it’s a great way to use fresh vegetables from the garden!
–
What are the ingredients in this Zesty Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad?
All you need for this pasta salad is your favorite tortellini, fresh veggies and a few pantry staples for the dressing. It’s also flexible enough to add or swap other veggies if you have them!
- cheese tortellini – I used a 9 ounce container of refrigerated tortellini. Some brands come in a 10 ounce size and that would work too.
- extra virgin olive oil – For the best base of a salad dressing, use extra virgin olive oil. It will have top notch flavor which really comes through in a simple pasta salad like this one.
- lemon juice – Use half the lemon juice for the dressing and save the other half to add later right before serving for the freshest taste.
- red wine vinegar – A touch of red wine vinegar in the dressing helps deepen the zesty Italian flavor.
- Italian seasoning – Using dried Italian seasoning is a super quick and easy way to get lots of Italian flavors all at once! If you like any specific dried herb (basil, oregano etc.), you can add extra.
- garlic powder – I love the flavor of garlic and adding some garlic powder is a quick way to infuse a little extra without spending time mincing.
- fine sea salt & fresh ground black pepper – Use these to season for the best flavor!
- cucumber – For stripey peeling, use a vegetable peeler and peel about half of the cucumber skin away, rotating as you go. This will create a striped cucumber look, which is visually appealing but also reduces bitterness and keeps the cucumbers firmer than full peeling.
- green bell pepper & yellow or red bell pepper – I like a mix of green bell pepper and a sweeter one like red or yellow. This gives you lots of crunch from the green with a balance of sweetness at the same time.
- pepperoncini peppers – This is one of my favorite pantry ingredients lately, because it brings SO MUCH flavor. I put them on sandwiches and green salads too!
- red onion – A little bit of red onion brings the smallest but most necessary bite of flavor to an otherwise zesty but cool salad. Don’t skip the red onion!
RELATED: Read 16 Make-Ahead Cold Lunch Ideas for Work here!
How do you make this Zesty Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad?
Best thing about this recipe? How quick and easy it is! This is one of those recipes where you can get the tortellini cooking while you make the dressing and chop the veggies. Everything is a pretty rough chop, so it’s nice and quick.
Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. I noticed different brands will take slightly different amounts of time to cook.
When the tortellini is done cooking, drain it and rinse in a strainer with cold water. This stops the cooking process and brings the pasta to room temperature so it can mix well with the veggies.
For a dressing like this, I find it super easy to use a mason jar with a lid. Add all the dressing ingredients to the jar, put the lid on, and shake! You can also put everything in a bowl and whisk. Either method works!
Once all the veggies are chopped and the dressing is made, it’s time to combine everything for the pasta salad. Make sure the tortellini has cooled off before adding it to the bowl. Toss all the ingredients gently together (being careful with the tortellini), and give it a taste.
Feel free to add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice depending on how you like it. For a truly cold pasta salad, I would chill this in the fridge before enjoying, but it can definitely be eaten immediately as well.
Best tips for making tortellini pasta salad:
Here are my best tips for making this Zesty Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad:
- adding tomatoes – If you want to add tomatoes to this pasta salad, I would recommend adding them right before eating for the best quality. During testing, I noticed that the tomatoes were first to get soggy and added a lot of extra moisture to the pasta salad.
- make-ahead – This salad works really well as a make-ahead meal, but be sure to give it a good stir before enjoying so you can mix in any dressing that has settled at the bottom of the bowl.
- cooking pasta – Be sure not to overcook the tortellini. If it gets too soft, it will fall apart easily when stirring and lose the firm bite that’s best in a cold pasta salad.
Ways to customize this tortellini pasta salad:
- Add cubed or sliced meats like salami like this Italian Tortellini Salad from Two Peas & Their Pod
- Use a premade dressing from the store or your favorite Italian dressing
- Change up the veggies – add things like olives, tomatoes, or fresh herbs like parsley
- Add more cheese! Crumbled feta or goat cheese are both good options.
Reader Love
I just finished making a double batch of this for a 4th of July party tomorrow. I typically make the run-of-the-mill rotini pasta salad. But this popped on my Insta feed. So glad it did! It’s DELISH! Had to limit my husband to one “trial bowl” so we have enough to bring to the party tomorrow 🤣. I used Barilla dry tortellini (2 x 12 Oz) and red, green, and orange bell peppers to make it look a little more jazzy. I also used pre-made dressing because I was in a hurry. All chanted worked well for me, but I’m sure the original ingredients would be better. I look forward to making this again soon!
–
What should you serve with this pasta salad?
This cold pasta salad makes an awesome cold vegetarian lunch. With cheese tortellini and loads of crunchy veggies, it can be a snack or a lunch depending on your portion!
You can also serve it alongside a heftier main dish like grilled chicken or steak. It keeps well in the fridge, so you can make it ahead of time.
Is this recipe meal prep friendly?
Yes! This recipe is super meal prep and make-ahead friendly. It’s quick to make – store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
No, I would not recommend freezing this recipe. There are lots of fresh veggies that would not freeze well.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When enjoying from the fridge, be sure to stir it up to mix in any dressing that has settled at the bottom of the bowl.
Want to Save this recipe for later?
Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!
Print
Zesty Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
This Zesty Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad is packed with bell peppers, cucumber, pepperoncinis, and cheese tortellini tossed in a simple lemon Italian dressing. Everyone will enjoy this vegetarian make-ahead friendly cold pasta salad!
- Total Time25 minutes
- Yield6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 (9-10 ounce) package cheese tortellini
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 medium cucumber, stripe peeled & cut into quarter rounds
- 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow or red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup jarred pepperoncini peppers, roughly chopped
- 1/4 red onion, diced
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini: Heat 4 quarts of water in a large pot over high heat. Cook the tortellini (9-10 ounce package) based on package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and bring to room temperature. Set aside to cool while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Make the dressing: In a mason jar with lid or small bowl, combine the olive oil (1/4 cup), lemon juice (2 tablespoons), red wine vinegar (1 tablespoon), Italian seasoning (1 1/2 teaspoons), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon). Put the lid on and shake it up or whisk until combined.
- Assemble salad: To a large bowl, add the cucumbers (1, stripe peeled & cut into quarter rounds), bell peppers (2, deseeded and roughly chopped), pepperoncini peppers (1/4 cup, roughly chopped), red onion (1/4, diced), and cooked tortellini. Pour the dressing over the veggies and tortellini, then gently toss to combine. Top with additional fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste, plus additional lemon juice if you prefer.
- Serve and store: Serve immediately or chill for at least 2 hours for a cold pasta salad. This is a great side dish or cold lunch to make ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Briefly stir before enjoying from the fridge to remix any dressing that has settled at the bottom of the bowl.
Notes
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
- Prep Time: 18 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 heaping cup
- Calories: 226
- Fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Protein: 7g
Did You Make This?
I love seeing what you made! Leave a review below, and be sure to tag me at @ProjectMealPlan when you share a photo!
I just finished making a double batch of this for a 4th of July party tomorrow. I typically make the run-of-the-mill rotini pasta salad. But this popped on my Insta feed. So glad it did! It’s DELISH! Had to limit my husband to one “trial bowl” so we have enough to bring to the party tomorrow 🤣. I used Barilla dry tortellini (2 x 12 Oz) and red, green, and orange bell peppers to make it look a little more jazzy. I also used pre-made dressing because I was in a hurry. All chanted worked well for me, but I’m sure the original ingredients would be better. I look forward to making this again soon!
Loved it! The salad is light and tasty!
Yay! So glad to hear this Natalia! Thank you for your review, I appreciate it 🙂 -Danielle
We LOVE this recipe! I have made it several times now this summer and it is always a hit ;-). No one has tired of it and it’s a great way to use fresh vegetables from the garden!
So happy to hear this Eileen! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and rating. So helpful for myself and other readers! You made my day! -Danielle
What is the sodium count in the Italian pesto salad
Hi JoAnn – I estimate 262mg per serving, but this could vary widely based on what brand of tortellini you use and how much salt is added to the finished salad. I recommend making your own estimate with My Fitness Pal or another app like that 🙂 -Danielle