Antipasto Tortellini Salad

This antipasto tortellini salad has chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, pickled peppers, salami, mozzarella, parmesan, and creamy Italian dressing for a flavorful, make-ahead side dish. It’s simple to make, great for a crowd, and perfect for BBQs and parties!

Here’s the thing. It’s far too hot to do anything except drink beer and eat food on the deck with friends. Which means that it’s far too hot to stand in front of the stove or turn on the oven for hours on end.

I’ve basically been using this excuse to avoid cooking for the past couple of weeks, which means we’ve been living off my no-cook go-tos like kale and apple slaw, watermelon peach salad, and this tortellini summer salad. (Ok, to be fair, you will have to stand in front of the stove for like, 3 minutes to cook the pasta. But I’m not here to split hairs).

Anyways, we really do need to talk about this pasta salad. I’ve been making it ever since I was in culinary school and everyone loves it. Plus, it has everything! Creamy cheese, salty salami, tender tortellini, and all the pickled things. A perfect summery side. Turn on the grill and grab your friends. It’s BBQ season!

Italian inspired ingredients

The key ingredient in this salad is cheese tortellini. You can use fresh or frozen – both will work. But personally, I like fresh best!

Then, you’ll need some antipasti inspired ingredients like chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, jarred sweet peppers, and pepperoncinis. But you can definitely use other pickled things like sweety drop peppers, black olives, or giardiniera. For fresh items, grab mozzarella balls (pearls or Ciliegine a.k.a. “cherry size”), Parmesan, salami, and fresh basil. Feel free to use any of your favorite cured Italian meats and cheeses.

To make the dressing, you’ll need some pantry staples. Grab red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic, mayo, olive oil, Morton’s Kosher salt, and black pepper.

Recipe directions

Creamy Italian dressing

1. First, combine the red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
2. Whisk the mixture until it’s nice and smooth.
3. Next, while whisking constantly, drizzle the olive oil into the dressing until emulsified. Cover and set aside.

Pasta salad

1. First, cook the tortellini in salted water according to package directions. Drain the pasta and let it cool a bit. Don’t over-cook the pasta or the salad could come out soggy!
2. Toss the tortellini, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, sweet peppers, pepperoncinis, mozzarella, Parmesan, salami, and basil.
3. Add half of the dressing and toss. Taste and add more dressing, if desired. Garnish with basil and red pepper flakes and enjoy.

Perfect pasta salad tips

• Don’t overcook the pasta, because it’ll soak up some of the dressing. Cook it just until it’s al dente (a bit firm when bitten). Then, rinse it with cold water to keep it from cooking further.
• Toss the salad at least 1-2 hours before serving. You want to give the flavors time to meld.
• Start by adding half of the dressing. Taste and add more if you like. Just keep in mind the flavors will come out more as the salad marinates!

Make-ahead & store for later

• Make-ahead – toss the salad together the night before. Cover and store it in the refrigerator. This salad doesn’t get soggy with the pickled veggies, but if you’re using fresh veggies, toss the salad 1-2 hours before serving so flavors have time to meld!
• Store leftovers – place the salad in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The salad can be eaten right out of the fridge. But, I like to warm it up at room temperature for 30 minutes to bring out all of the flavors!

Side dish or main meal

This is my go-to salad for basically every party and get-together. But it’s also a great for picnics or a make-ahead lunch situation! Here are some of the dishes I like to serve with this summer tortellini pasta salad:

• Grilled meat – chicken, pork, smoked tri-tip, or sausages.
• Sandwiches – this salad is great with a good Italian sandwich or grilled halloumi sandwiches.
• BBQ – Dr. Pepper pulled pork, smoked brisket, or BBQ bacon blue cheese burgers.
• Italian dishes – I love serving this dish with a variety of summery Italian dishes like spiedini or bruschetta.

Number of servings

This recipe will serve about 8 people as a side dish. Or, it will feed 4-6 people as a meal or make-ahead lunch situation. But it’s super easy to double for a crowd or halve for a small group! If you have big eaters, I would definitely recommend doubling the recipe because it always goes quick.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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Originally posted July 27, 2021.