Ingredients
Scale
For the pasta salad:
- 1 (20 oz.) bag refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 9 oz. hard salami, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup bell pepper, chopped (any color you like)
- 1 (6 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
- 8 oz. mozzarella pearls
- ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
For the Italian dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Store the dressing in the fridge while you prepare the salad.
- Whisk again before using if the oil separates.
Prepare the salad:
- Cook the tortellini following the package directions until tender.
- Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
- Let the tortellini cool completely in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the salami, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, mozzarella, basil, and red onion to the bowl.
- Pour your desired amount of dressing over the salad.
- Toss everything together until well coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Before serving, toss again and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Don’t skip the cooling step: Make sure your tortellini is completely cool before mixing. Hot pasta will make your other ingredients soggy and wilted.
- Save some dressing: Start with half the dressing and add more as needed. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away.
- Cut ingredients uniformly: Keep your salami, tomatoes, and peppers roughly the same size so every bite has balanced flavors.
- Fresh herbs matter: Use fresh basil instead of dried for the best taste. Add it right before serving to keep it bright green.
- Quality ingredients count: Use good olive oil and real parmesan cheese for the richest flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 412 kcal
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 703mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 53g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 54mg