This cold Tortellini Pasta Salad is the ultimate BBQ side dish—loaded with cheese tortellini, juicy summer tomatoes, crisp broccoli, and briny black olives.
Tortellini Salad
There’s something about a chilled pasta salad that just hits in the summer—and this easy tortellini version is always a crowd favorite. It pairs perfectly with anything off the grill, from burgers and BBQ chicken to skewers and sausages. I love that it’s make-ahead friendly, which makes party prep way less stressful. Whether you’re heading to a backyard BBQ or hosting a summer potluck, this tortellini pasta salad is fresh, flavorful, and built for sharing. The simple homemade Italian dressing ties it all together—and it’s so good, you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.
Looking for more easy summer sides? Don’t miss my Macaroni Salad, my healthy Coleslaw Recipe, or this Greek Pasta Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Perfect for summer – This chilled pasta salad is refreshing, light, and made for warm weather gatherings.
- Make-ahead friendly – You can prep it hours in advance, giving you more time to relax and enjoy the party.
- Pairs with everything – From grilled chicken to burgers and veggie skewers, it’s the ultimate BBQ side dish.
- No bottled salad dressing – The simple homemade Italian dressing is made with ingredients you can feel good about.
- Customizable – Swap in your favorite veggies, add protein, meats, cheese, or toss in extra herbs to make it your own.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this garden tortellini salad. See recipe card below for measurements.
- Cheese Tortellini – I love using Delallo’s shelf-stable three cheese tortellini. It holds up better than fresh in cold pasta salads and has great flavor.
- Broccoli – Chop into small, bite-sized florets. You can lightly blanch them if you prefer a softer texture.
- Tomatoes – Use sweet grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half for juicy bursts of flavor.
- Red Onion – Adds just the right bite. Prefer a milder option? Swap in thinly sliced shallot or green onions.
- Black Olives – Canned sliced olives save time, but kalamata olives work great too if you want a brinier twist.
- Simple Dressing – A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar seasoned with salt, fresh garlic, garlic powder, and dried parsley brings everything together.
How to Make Tortellini Pasta Salad
Here’s the easy steps to have this tortellini salad for your next party. See recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Cook the tortellini – Boil according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down quickly.
- Blanch the broccoli (optional) – For a brighter color and slightly tender bite, quickly blanch broccoli florets in boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water. Or keep them raw for crunch.
- Chop the veggies – Halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, and prep the olives if needed.
- Make the dressing – In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, grated fresh garlic, garlic powder, dried parsley, and kosher salt.
- Assemble the salad – In a large bowl, combine the cooked tortellini, broccoli, tomatoes, onion, and olives. Pour the dressing over and toss gently until everything is coated.
- Chill and serve – Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld. Toss again before serving and adjust seasoning if needed.
Pro Tip
Rinsing the tortellini with cold water prevents it from sticking and keeps the salad cool and fresh.
Variations and Swaps
- Vegetables – Mix and match with what you have on hand. Chopped bell peppers, zucchini, cucumber, or celery all work great. Roasted or grilled veggies like asparagus or eggplant can add extra flavor, too.
- Protein Boost – Turn this into a main dish by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, chickpeas, or even diced salami or ham.
- Cheese Options – Crumbled feta adds tang, while baby mozzarella balls (bocconcini) make it extra creamy and indulgent.
- Fresh Herbs – Brighten it up with fresh basil, dill, or parsley right before serving.
- Dressing Twist – Swap red wine vinegar for lemon juice or balsamic vinegar for a slightly sweeter flavor profile.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
This pasta salad is best made a few hours ahead—or even the night before—making it a stress-free option for summer entertaining. Tortellini pasta salad stays fresh for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just toss before serving.
- Make Ahead: This pasta salad can be made up to one day in advance. Just cover and refrigerate, then give it a good toss before serving to redistribute the dressing.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If the pasta absorbs too much dressing, refresh it with a splash of olive oil or vinegar before serving.
What to Serve With Tortellini Salad
This chilled tortellini salad pairs perfectly with just about anything you’re grilling. It’s a great match for burgers, BBQ chicken, or skewers and makes a colorful addition to any summer spread.
Serve it alongside:
- Grilled BBQ Chicken – A classic pairing that’s always a hit.
- Turkey Burgers or Beef Burgers – The creamy tortellini balances savory grilled meats.
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers – A lighter option that complements the pasta beautifully.
- Hot Dogs or Sausages – Perfect for casual cookouts and family gatherings.
- Veggie Skewers, Black Bean Burgers or Portobello Burger – For a vegetarian-friendly BBQ spread.
Planning a potluck? Add in other easy sides like my Potato Salad, Corn Tomato Avocado Salad, or Grilled Corn on the Cob for a well-rounded menu everyone will love.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:
- Italian Shrimp Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Orzo Vegetable Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 8.8 ounce packages Three cheese tortellini, I used Delallo
- 3 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut bite sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- When boiling, blanch the broccoli 15 to 30 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking.
- Add the tortellini to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
- Drain and rinse under cold water then add to a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.
- Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Serve cold.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Tortellini: Shelf-stable tortellini holds up better than fresh in pasta salads. Cook just until al dente and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Broccoli: For a softer texture, blanch broccoli florets in boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water.
- Make Ahead: Best served cold—can be made up to 1 day in advance. Toss before serving and refresh with a splash of oil or vinegar if needed.
- Add-Ins: Try baby mozzarella balls, feta, grilled chicken, or salami to turn this into a more filling main dish.
What are the measurements for the dressing? How much oliv e oil, vinegar etc?
Delicious as written! Sometimes I also add artichokes.
Yum!
Simply delicious as written. I will be making this a lot.
I love tortellini, so when I saw this recipe I thought OH YES! Made it up this morning, tasted it, and wasn’t impressed. But covered it, put in the fridge, and let the flavors meld for a few hours. It’s now 5 hours later, I just went out to taste it, thinking I’d have to add extra spices… IT IS TO DIE FOR! Perfect as it is! Great recipe! I halved the ingredients as I’m making it just for myself, BUT after reading some of the comments, I used the dressing for the 14 servings, I didn’t cut back on that. And it is perfect! Easy to make, tasty, a perfect side dish (I’m having mine with a nice air fried tilapia fillet!), and this would be perfect for any get togethers, outside OR inside events! Thanks so much for sharing!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. A great dish to have on a hot day. I love the flavor combo of all of the ingredients. It tastes so vibrant and fresh.
This is so light but so tasty! The garlic really added flavor to this recipe. I left out the black olives. If serving at a party or cookout, I suggest leaving out extra olive oil for people who like a more “saucy” pasta salad. Or maybe Italian dressing. But this was perfect for me!
Great salad for bring to a picnic. No mayo to go bad. Flavorful and fresh tasting. It was a hit with all attendees, even a toddler. I made it the night before so the flavors had a chance to blend before serving. I think adding some chicken is a good idea to make it a meal. I wouldn’t add cheese as there is enough in the tortellinis. I used 4 cheese tortellinis from Costco which are not shelf-stable and they held up just fine.
I’ve been a Skinnytaste fan for YEARS, this is one of the best recipes! I added some red bell peppers and radishes because I had them. Made ahead of time and just added the dressing before we ate. So, so good!
Thanks Jaimee!
This is the first recipe I don’t give 5 stars. The veggies and pasta were great—but I barely tasted the dressing. I ended up adding bottled Italian dressing and parm cheese.
I made the Summer Tortellini Salad for our neighborhood picnic. My husband and I each tried it since it is the first time I made it. I did not blanch the broccoli, I did follow the rest of the recipe. This may be a dish to pass for next week’s event again. I like that there is nothing in the ingredients that will be disturbed by the heat.
So happy to hear that Kelly!!
The pasta to veggie ratio doesn’t work, in my opinion. I would use 1 package of pasta or double some of the veggies.
Feel free to add more veggies to your liking!
Delicious! My husband is on a sodium and animal-protein restricted diet plus had 6 teeth pulled a week ago and is still needing soft foods. This almost fit the bill so I cooked the broccoli longer than just blanching it and lessened the salt in the water. This turned out SO good. I let the broccoli go a little too long and it turned out almost like pesto after stirring it in. Happy accident! It made a large amount of food so I’ll cook a little more broccoli to add to the leftovers that is more than blanched but less than pesto. I plan to make that “mistake” again!
Its amazing Gina 🙂 It made alot, how long can I keep in fridge? Can I freeze it?
4 days, I wouldn’t freeze
Just got all the ingredients, can’t wait to make later 👍
Delicious! I added chicken, celery and peppers!
Great!!
very good and easy
Love this will make again
We really loved this one. Second time we made it, we made a lemon vinaigrette and used that instead of the olive oil/balsamic. Very good!
delicious and refreshing. Such a great spring/summer lunch or side dish. Also the dressing is fantastic and I have taken to making the dressing on a regular basis for regular salads.
Delicious and easy to put together. Great potluck dish!
Very yummy! I used the blackened shrimp recipe from the Blackened Shrimp and Grits, so we could toss in some protein, but I did not get 14 cups.
Delish, we loved it! Thinking of protein swaps for future and made a bottle of the dressing to use on salads.
I am so glad!!
Looks so good can’t wait to make it
Our local stores don’t carry a lot of this brand so I had to order the pasta online. Of course, I ordered a bunch of other things too! Can’t wait to try this recipe this week,
This was very tasty. Followed everything exact including chill time, but I did cut servings down quite a bit and served with warm ham steak. Fun and tasty way to incorporate tortellini into something not including red sauce. Yum 😋
Kroger got packages of Delallo three cheese tortellini in and I was excited to pick up a bag (or maybe four lol) I swear Kroger reads your blog! So good, I’m glad I was able to get them! Also excited to try this with blackened shrimp next time as someone above made.
confused? in the picture the dressing bring poured looks like more than oil and vinegar. there is a reference to ‘italian’ dressing? are there more ingredients than oil, vinegar , garlic, salt and pepper?
that is the dressing, oil vinegar, garlic, etc
This looks great and will give it a try. I am unable to get the Dellalo brand in my area. Is there something I should look for in another brand? You mentioned you didn’t like the fridge type?
I LOVE Delallo but I also have the problem of not being able to find it anywhere near me the last few years. I used to order pasta from them online when they had the whole wheat acini Pepe but they stopped making them so I stopped ordering online from them. I am making Gina’s tortellini mushroom soup tonight with barilla tortellini as that is all I could find (dry) and I bought an xtra bag to make this meal (halved) on Thursday with some ham steak on the side. This recipe looks awesome so I honestly don’t think it matters what pasta brand you use, but I do hope Delallo shows up more in more areas in the future as it is great pasta.
You can use any brand of cheese tortellini, or you can order this on their website.
14 servings?
This recipe is listed as a BBQ side dish, hence that many servings. Each serving is only 1 cup.
This looks so good! I have to say I usually don’t put much thought into using the specific brands suggested in recipes, except when it comes to your recipes. All the brands you partner with really do make a difference, I am a Delallo Fan now as well as the Tuttoroso tomatoes you suggest in other recipes. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
I am only really brand loyal with particular things, like sauce and pasta which is why I dont have a lot of partnerships. So glad you like them both!