How to Make Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

During the summer, I switch to lighter foods. It gets hot in the south, and I don’t want to heat up the house even more by turning on the oven. Instead, I look for stove top recipes, grilling recipes and even cold recipes like this summer tortellini salad.

This recipe for cheese tortellini pasta salad is perfect for hot summer evenings. I’ve served this as a side dish for grilled chicken, and sometimes I serve it as a main dish. While it’s delicious on its own, I also have some variations for this easy tortellini pasta salad.

What I like best about this summer tortellini salad with Italian dressing is that I can make it in the afternoon or even the day before I serve it. It’s best when chilled for at least an hour before serving, so I can make it ahead of time. For families with kids at home, this is perfect for busy weeknights.

It lasts up to 5 days in the fridge. I find that this easy tortellini pasta salad is best on the second day, but you can definitely eat it on the first day after it has chilled for an hour.

Tips for the Best Tortellini Pasta Salad

Here are some tips for making cheese filled tortellini pasta salad:

• Don’t overcook your tortellini. It can become soft and mushy. Cook them al dente or the lowest amount in the directions.
• Drain the noodles and place them in an ice bath or rinse well with cold water. This stops the noodles from cooking.
• Let the tortellini cool before making this Italian tortellini pasta salad. Warm pasta will soak up the Italian dressing and can get soggy.
• This cheese stuffed tortellini pasta salad needs time to rest before serving. This helps the flavors meld and taste better. Let it sit for at least one hour, but longer is better.
• Cut the vegetables into uniform small pieces.
• If you make this early in the day, add half of the Italian dressing right away. Then add the other half just before you serve this cheese tortellini pasta salad with Italian dressing.



For nutritional information for this pasta salad along with variations, answers to common questions, serving suggestions and more, visit the original post on how to make cheese tortellini pasta salad with Italian dressing here.