A perfect side dish for grilling or BBQ’s! This pasta salad is a fantastic compliment to any meal!
Easy Tortellini Pasta Salad
This Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad is hands down my very favorite pasta salad. A friend of mine made it for a potluck and I just had to have the recipe! It’s the perfect combination of creamy, crunchy, garlicky, and pesto. I just looooove it!
One of my favorite shortcuts is to thaw the tortellini in the refrigerator. Did you know you don’t actually have to boil the noodles? This goes for Ravioli, too. Once they are thawed they are ready to serve! Boiling just happens to be the fastest way to thaw them. But if you plan ahead and leave them in the fridge, they will be ready to eat as soon as you are!
You can level this delicious side dish up by using homemade Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce with fresh basil from the Farmer’s Market!
Some of my other favorite side salads are Frito Corn Salad, Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, Classic Potato Salad, Grape Salad, Ranch Pasta Salad, and Snicker Apple Salad!
What You’ll Need:
- 1 (19 oz) bag Cheese Tortellini
- 1/3 cup Pesto
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
- 1 1/2 cups Zucchini, Crinkle Cut
- 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, Cut in Half
- 1/2 cup Pine Nuts
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Combine 1/3 cup pesto, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, and 2 cloves minced garlic together in a medium size bowl.
- Pour in 1 (19 oz) bag of thawed cheese tortellini and mix until well combined.
- Crinkle cut 1 1/2 cups zucchini and cut 1 cup grape tomatoes in half. Pour into the bowl along with 1/2 cup pine nuts. Mix salad together until well combined.
- Note: For best results, pour sauce over the tortellini right before serving.
Recipe Notes & Substitutions:
- Tortellini – You don’t actually have to boil the tortellini, you can leave them in the refrigerator in the bag overnight and they’ll be ready the next day! Only boil if you are in a hurry and need to make the salad right away.
- Mayonnaise – You can swap with vegan mayo or Miracle Whip.
- Pesto – Store bought pesto is fastest, but if you’d like you can make Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce instead!
- Zucchini – You don’t have to crinkle cut the zucchini, it just looks pretty!
- Garlic – I just buy it minced to keep it easy.
- Making Ahead – Pour the sauce over the tortellini right before serving for best results. The pasta salad will dry out if you make it too far ahead of time.
More Side Salads:
- Grape Salad
- 25 Summer Salads
- Frito Corn Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Ramen Noodle Salad
- Ranch Pasta Salad
- Orange Delight Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Butternut Squash Salad
- Marinated Bean Salad
- Vegetarian Doritos Taco Salad
- Blueberry Pretzel Salad
- Classic Potato Salad
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Tabbouleh Salad
- Christmas Crunch Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Orange Fluff Salad
- Strawberry Fluff Salad
- Vegan Broccoli Salad
- Snicker Apple Salad
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad, a perfect side dish for grilling or BBQ's! This pasta salad is a fantastic compliment to any meal!
Ingredients
- 1 (19 oz) bag Cheese Tortellini
- 1/3 cup Pesto
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
- 1 1/2 cups Zucchini, Crinkle Cut
- 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, Cut in Half
- 1/2 cup Pine Nuts
Instructions
- Combine pesto, mayonnaise, and minced garlic together in a medium size bowl.
- Pour in bag of thawed cheese tortellini and mix until well combined.
- Crinkle cut zucchini and cut grape tomatoes in half. Pour into the bowl along with pine nuts. Mix salad together until well combined.
Notes
For best results, pour sauce over the tortellini right before serving.
Recipe Credit: Charlyn Marsh
