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, crunch, garlic, and pesto. I just looooove it!
While preparing to make this one summer, I discovered I don’t need to boil the tortellini. I knew I was going to be short on time when I was ready to put it together, so I put the noodles in the refrigerator hoping for shorter boiling time. Come to find out, they don’t need to be boiled at all! You can just leave them in the refrigerator overnight and they will be ready for you the next day!
It’s so simple, but when I think about it I feel like I am saving myself so much time!
I like easy – like these Easy Air Fryer Pizza’s, Each Taco Dip, or Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!
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 Dishes:
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Strawberry Fluff
- Best Rice Pudding
- Beer Dip
- Honey Butter Skillet Corn
- Easy Garlic Knots
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.
