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Home » Dinner » Vegetarian » Tuscan Tortellini Salad

Tuscan Tortellini Salad

Created: June 2, 2016 Updated: May 19, 2021 by Lyuba Brooke 4 Comments *This post may contain affiliate links. Read More...

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Wonderful side dish addition to a barbecue or a dinner party. This tortellini salad is made in a Tuscan style, with cannellini beans, kale, tomatoes, carrots, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs.

Tortellini pasta with carrots, onions, tomato in a yellow bowl

I have another Italian cuisine inspired dish for you. This time, we have the tastes of Tuscany region of Italy.

Italy is actually my dream place. It’s the one place I have to visit in my lifetime. Of course, I would love to visit every country if I could, but Italy is the number one on my list. If I had the means, I would actually want to do a food tour of Italy and then hit all of Europe. Sort of like a tastes of Europe kind of thing. But of course, I haven’t won the lottery yet, so the European food tour will have to stay a dream until I do. As for Italy, I am making that dream happen some day. Until I do, I will just try to recreate Italian flavors in my own kitchen.

As hard as it is to get truly authentic dishes without the proper ingredients that are local to the country, I try to get as close as I can. I actually cook Italian food a lot at home. My husband often jokes that I am Russian but I rarely make Russian food. Looking at what mostly appears in my kitchen, one can assume that I’m Italian.

top view photo of Tortellini pasta with carrots, onions, tomato in a yellow bowl

In reality, I actually enjoy trying recipe from just about every ethnic cuisine. It’s very interesting to read about all the ingredients indigenous to certain regions and how they appear in each cuisine. It’s fun to see how a certain spice or two can take a dish to a fun new direction. I love experimenting with flavors and I love trying new things. I wish that my husband and son were just as adventurous in trying new foods as I am. Since their pallets are quite restricting, I try not to push the line with my recipes. So I leave many of my experiments for myself. But, even the classic ingredients that we all know and love can take different shapes and forms. Just like in this tortellini salad, all the ingredients are familiar and used often but after putting them together in a certain way, you get specific regional flavors.

I love this simple Tuscan Tortellini Salad. It’s made with inexpensive vegetables and herbs that you would usually find in Tuscan dishes. Bread is quite often present in this region’s dishes but I chose to leave bread out because of the use of pasta. Beautiful olive oil is a must, choosing a good olive oil will definitely effect the dish’s taste. This salad is wonderful cold or warm, so you can serve it either way you’d prefer.

Tortellini pasta with carrots, onions, tomato in a yellow bowl

Big oval yellow platter filled with tuscan tortellini salad on a brown placemat with a bottle of oil in the background as viewed close up

Tuscan Tortellini Salad

This tortellini salad is made in a Tuscan style, with cannellini beans, kale, tomatoes, carrots, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 9 about 9 cups
Calories: 363kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 20 oz package of three cheese tortellini
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 4 Roma tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of kale
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
  • 15.5 oz cannellini beans
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Cook tortellini according to the package instructions, drain and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
  • Slice onions and carrots thin. (I actually use a potato peeler to slice my carrots in ribbons but you can also use a mandolin.) Chop tomatoes into large cubes. Take stem off the kale leaves and cut greens into thin slices. Peel garlic cloves. Open the can of beans and drain off the liquid.
  • Preheat a large cooking pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions and carrots. Saute onions and carrots until starts to soften.
  • Add tomatoes and kale to the pan. Stir well and saute until kale starts to wilt.
  • Smash garlic, chop it and add it to the pan. Add 1 tbsp of rosemary and some salt. Mix well and cook until veggies are soft.
  • Add cooked veggies to the bowl with tortellini.
  • Add cannellini beans to the pan where you cooked the veggies and give them a quick saute for just a couple of minutes. Add beans to the mixing bowl.
  • Add balsamic vinegar to the pan where you cooked veggies and bean and reduce it, still over medium heat, until half the amount (so about 1/4 cup) is left. Add reduced balsamic vinegar to the mixing bowl.
  • Add olive oil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, and salt. Mix well, until all ingredients are evenly spread throughout.
  • You can serve this salad warm or cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3193IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

Tortellini pasta with carrots, onions, tomato in a yellow bowl with a wooden spoon scooping some out

Check out these great recipes from other bloggers:

Garden Fresh Tortellini Pasta from Averie Cooks

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Spinach Artichoke Tortellini Salad from Live Well Bake Often

Tortellini pasta with carrots, onions, tomato in a yellow bowl

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Collage Top Photo Tortellini pasta with carrots, onions, tomato in a yellow bowl bottom photo with a wooden spoon scooping some out

Some More Recipes From Me:

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Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

2.1K shares

Filed Under: BBQ, Pasta, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Thomas Coleman says

    September 12, 2016 at 5:54 am

    5 stars
    This tortellini salad looks delicious! It’s a perfect summer dish. I will make it again and again!

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      September 12, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      Thank you, Thomas! Enjoy 😉

      Reply
  2. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    June 3, 2016 at 6:46 am

    You know the song — I Left My Heart In San Francisco? Well, my heart has always been in Italy. When I flew back for the first time in 60 years it was like coming home. Yes, Italy has its “warts” like other countries but the beauty and the people are fantastic!! Now, your salad looks and sounds amazing! I love the combination of flavors. It certainly would be a great salad for eating al fresco.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      June 10, 2016 at 11:42 am

      My heart is definitely in Italy, even without actually being there. I’m totally jealous of you 🙂
      Thank you, Marisa!

      Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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