This Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad with sun-dried tomatoes is the perfect prep-ahead cold pasta salad! Tossed with fresh pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and mozzarella, this pesto pasta salad is an easy and flavorful pasta salad!
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Key Ingredients
- Cheese Tortellini: Tortellini is typically found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store (as opposed to the dried pasta aisle!). For a non-vegetarian option, you are welcome to use chicken tortellini.
- Pesto: Since pesto is a key ingredient in this recipe, it is important to opt for a really delicious and good quality pesto! I recommend my homemade pesto recipe. The lemon in my homemade pesto also helps keep the pesto a beautiful green color, making it a great option for prepping ahead.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: If you purchase sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drain and pat them dry before using them.
- Ciliegine (small mozzarella balls): Add these in after the pasta has cooled. If you add it while the pasta is hot they will melt slighly and loose their shape (the taste will still be great, so don't worry too much if you add it in too soon). If you can't find ciliegine, any good quality mozzarella will work-- just cut it into bite sized-pieces.
- Pine nuts: You can use raw pine nuts, but I love the added flavor of toasted pine nuts. You can toast them yourself or purchase them pre-toasted. Tip: store extra pine nuts in the freezer to extend the life of them!
Tips for making Pesto Tortellini
1. Cook the cheese tortellini in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.
2. Drain the pasta and immediately toss it with the pesto. Do not rinse your pasta! The hot pasta will absorb some of the pesto and make it extra flavorful.
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3. Toss the tortellini with the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and parmesan. Once the pasta has fully cooled, add in the mozzarella. If you are serving the dish hot, go ahead and add in the mozzarella before the pasta has cooled. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days and serve at room temperature or cold.
Prep ahead tips
This pesto pasta salad is a great salad to prep in advance! To make it ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. For best results for a party, I recommend making it no more than 1-2 days in advance. I'll be making a big batch of this for a bridal shower in a few weeks and plan on making it the day before.
Serving suggestions
This cold tortellini pasta salad, would make for a great side dish at a summer barbecue, potluck, luncheon, or party. It would make for a great side dish with Italian Pressed Sandwiches with Caesar Salad.
I love serving this dish cold but it is also delicious hot.
For added protein, add in diced grilled chicken when you stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts.
More prep-ahead, no-lettuce salads you'll love
📖 Recipe
Tortellini Pesto Salad
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 18 ounces cheese Tortellini pasta
- 1 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped, drained and patted dry if in oil
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces ciliegine (mini mozzarella balls) halved
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the tortellini and cook according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta and immediately toss it with the pesto. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and parmesan.
- Allow the pasta to cool then stir in the mozzarella. Taste adjusting for seasoning as desired.
Notes
- Serves 6-8 depending on the number of other dishes you are serving it with.
- If you can't find ciliegine, you can use any size of good-quality mozzarella, just cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- If serving hot, you can go ahead and stir in the mozzarella when you add in the rest of the ingredients. If serving cold, I like to wait to add it when the pasta has cooled so that the mozzarella doesn't melt at all and lose its shape.
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Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man! says
I love these kinds of pasta salads. Thanks for the recipe!
Caitlin Charlton says
I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you so much!
Maureen says
Made this last night for dinner and loved it! So simple but bursting with flavor, love the sundried tomatoes and pine nuts together. Will definitely be making again. 🙂
Caitlin Charlton says
Thank you so much! I'm so thrilled to hear that 🙂