This quick and easy summer pasta dish will quickly become a family favorite! Add in your most wanted and requested ingredients, toss it all together with a Dijon vinaigrette, and enjoy this filling and refreshing summer recipe!
Summertime is fast approaching and it’s time to bring out the good ole pasta salad recipes. I love this time of year because of all the delicious dishes that can be made with so many amazing and fresh ingredients.
We love salads here in my house. Any salad is welcome and desired during this time of year. My family loves having salads for lunch and dinner and the creamier the better. This tortellini pasta salad is versatile and can be changed up by adding more veggies or taking them away, all depending on your liking.
Tortellini pasta is great because it’s packed with flavor and a great addition to a salad. This type of pasta is usually stuffed with various cheeses, meats, or herbs.
Did you know that tortellini means “small little pies”? I never realized what the actual meaning of tortellini was until I started doing some research. This pasta can be used in so many dishes too. It can be made in a hearty pasta sauce, a cream sauce or pesto sauce, stews, cold salads and so much more. They are quick to cook and easy to find in your local grocery store.
Summertime is a great time to also bring farm-to-table elements into your dishes. Be it from a local farm or your homegrown garden. If you can’t get it from either, then your local supermarket will work just fine. I love using vegetables from my garden when they’re available or buying them from my local farms.
Supporting your local farms is so great! Take a drive in your area or do a google search and get out there and support your local community! They work hard to serve us! I love being able to add any delicious fresh produce into any salad that I make during this time of year.
Cooking Tortellini
Follow the instructions on the packaging of the tortellini. It only takes a few minutes to cook. Make sure to salt your water. Don’t be afraid to add salt. Add a generous amount. I like to add 2-3 tbsp into my pot. Salt enhances the flavor from the inside out of any pasta when boiling. It is super easy and simple to do. Once cooked, set aside and drizzle with just a little bit of olive oil to help keep it from sticking together. Let cool off at room temperature.
Vegetables
For this pasta dish, you can essentially add your favorite vegetables. Anything that will be packed with flavor is a great addition to this recipe.
I used cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers which are great because they are extra crunchy and hold well in this dish. I love sweet onions, so I added a small one. Scallions, shallots, or red onions would work great too.
Cheeses
You can add any cheese to this recipe, but I love mozzarella pearls and feta cheese. I didn’t have pearls so I chopped up a mozzarella log that I had sitting in my refrigerator.
Dressing
I love making homemade dressings and always make extra to have on hand. I like to store it in a mason jar and leave it out at room temperature for a few days. It usually goes quick, so I don’t have to worry about it going bad! I used to keep it in the refrigerator but realized that the olive oil would solidify and make it difficult to use. If you do store your homemade dressing in the refrigerator, keep in mind that you do need to let it sit out at room temperature for a while for it all to return to its liquid state.
My Dijon vinaigrette is super easy to make and can be used with so many different salad recipes.
Follow the instructions below on what you will need to make this dressing. Salad dressing could get dried up a little when in the fridge for a few days as it absorbs into the pasta and everything else. I like to make extra dressing to add to this pasta dish as needed as it sits in the fridge!
If you don’t want to use or make this dressing feel free to use whatever other dressing of your choosing, Greek, ranch, Italian dressing, pesto, etc.
This pasta salad can hold up in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. It usually doesn’t last that long in my household. LOL! You can also make a really big batch of this and make it ahead of time if you’re serving it at a get-together or summer party!
Colorful
The best thing about making pasta or green salad is that you can really add anything that you like or even love! What I like the most is just adding as many different colors as I can to make these beautiful salads pop! Herbs are also a great addition to any salad, such as basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, mint and so much more!
Variations
There are so many different ingredients that you can add to any pasta dish such as meats, artichokes, nuts, olives, shrimp, dried fruits like raisins, apricots, cranberries and so much more.
This pasta dish can also be used as a side dish to any summer meal!
I have never made tortellini from scratch but would love to make it one day! If anyone has a recipe, they would like to share feel free to email me! Let’s have a tortellini party!
Have fun with this recipe. Feel free to share what you have done in the comments below or share a picture of you enjoying this yummy pasta dish!
Bom apetite! Enjoy your meal!
Dijon Dressing Tortellini Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tortellini packages boiled and cooled
- 2-3 tbsp sea salt add to pot of water
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 mini cucumbers sliced
- 1 packaged mozzarella pearls drained
- 1/2 cup feta cheese any flavor
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half or whole
Dijon Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and add 2-3 tbsp of sea salt. Bring to a boil.
- Add pasta and follow instructions on tortellini packaging for cook time.
- When boiled, drain and set aside. Drizzle with some olive oil to help prevent pasta from sticking and let completely cool.
- Chop all vegetables and toss into a big mixing bowl.
- Add tortellini when cooled, set aside.
Dijon Dressing
- Add all ingredients into a bowl or mason jar. Mix well and pour some over pasta and vegetables until it is all coated with the dressing. Add more or less depending on your preference. Store in refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Add more dressing as needed when serving. Salad will soak up dressing as it sits in refrigerator.
- Bom apetite! Enjoy!
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