Greek Tortellini Salad

We love this twist on a pasta salad, using tortellini is so much more fun (and tasty)! I bring this salad all the time to picnics, potlucks, and summer backyard BBQ’s.

Have you tried using tortellini in pasta salads? The little cheese packed pasta pockets hold so much extra cheesy flavor that adds such a tasty element to the salad as a whole. And, you can play around with flavors and use other flavors of tortellini if you’d like!

This tortellini salad is all about showcasing bold Greek flavors from veggies, cheese, and the homemade Greek dressing. The beauty of this flavor is the combination of sour, savory, and tangy notes paired with tender bites of pasta and fresh, crisp vegetables. It truly is a perfect summer dish that will compliment grilled Greek chicken at barbecues as much as cold sandwiches at picnics. It’s also a lovely light lunch on a warm day.

You can make this salad the day before and let all those beautiful ingredients marinate together to infuse pasta with so much flavor, every bite will pop! I’ve found that making this pasta salad the day before I plan on serving it simplifies the already easy process even more.

Key Ingredients and Notes

• Four cheese tortellini – found in the refrigerated pasta section. Cook it just until tender, then cool it fully before mixing so it doesn’t wilt the vegetables or soak up too much dressing early.
• Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper – all fresh and raw, cut into bite-sized pieces so every forkful gets a mix of textures.
• Banana peppers and black olives – both come jarred, so drain them well before adding so they don’t water down the dressing.
• Feta cheese – crumbled feta is traditional here for that salty, tangy bite. If you’re not a feta fan, a mild cheddar cut into small cubes or fresh mozzarella both work well as swaps.
• Oil – this recipe uses canola or vegetable oil for a neutral base, but olive oil works too if you’d rather use it.
• Lemon juice and white wine vinegar – both bring acidity to the dressing. Fresh lemon juice gives the brighter flavor.
• Fresh dill and parsley – fresh is what this dressing is built around, and they’re worth using here since dried dill and parsley lose a lot of their flavor when dried, more so than sturdier herbs like oregano.

Lyuba’s Tips For Making Greek Tortellini Salad

• Tortellini – You can find tortellini in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It’s fast and easy to cook, but make sure to cool it down to room temperature before adding other ingredients. For this tortellini salad, choose four cheese tortellini when possible. 
• Making the dressing – This dressing is as easy and combining all of the ingredients together in a dressing shaker and shaking well. You can easily make the dressing ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator!
• Dressing the salad – Make sure to dress the salad right before serving. Tortellini is pasta so it will soak up the dressing if it’s dressed too early.
• This tortellini salad is great cold or room temperature! Personally, I prefer it at room temperature because some ingredients in the dressing and tortellini filling do solidity. It is a personal preference though!

Make Ahead Suggestions

• I actually highly encourage making this salad ahead of time! Making Greek tortellini salad ahead of time will actually give all ingredients time to marinate together and infuse pasta with delicious flavors.
• Prepare tortellini salad according to the recipe and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can make it up to 1 day ahead of time for the freshest results. Make sure to stir it well before refrigerator and before serving to that the dressing is spread evenly throughout.
• Just remember, that pasta tends to soak up some of the liquids as it sits. So you may need to add a little more Greek dressing before serving.
• Leftover tortellini salad can be stored in a closed container, in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days.

Greek Tortellini Salad FAQs

More Summer BBQ Recipes We Love

• Cheddar Bacon Ranch Tortellini Salad
• Creamy Tortellini with Peas Asparagus and Bacon
• Chicken and Sausage Tortellini Casserole
• Greek Chicken Marinade
• Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
• Heirloom tomato salad