This creamy tortellini pasta salad is loaded with fresh vegetables, cheese tortellini, and a bright herb dressing with orange zest and basil. It’s an easy make-ahead side dish that’s perfect for summer dinners, potlucks, and cookouts.
If you’re looking for a pasta salad that feels a little fresher and more flavorful than the usual picnic side dish, this Creamy Tortellini Pasta Salad is it. Cheese tortellini, crisp vegetables, sweet peas, and mozzarella are tossed in a creamy herb dressing with basil, thyme, and orange zest for a bright, fresh flavor that stands out. It’s easy to make ahead and works just as well as a summer side dish or a light main meal with added chicken or shrimp.
Planning summer dinners, cookouts, or potluck menus? Be sure to check out my favorite summer recipes filled with fresh salads, easy side dishes, grilling ideas, and simple seasonal meals.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Creamy, fresh, and packed with colorful vegetables
- Easy to make ahead for parties, cookouts, or summer dinners
- The orange zest and fresh herbs give the dressing bright flavor
- Delicious as a side dish or add chicken, shrimp, or steak for a full meal
- Perfect for potlucks because it tastes even better after chilling
Ingredients in Creamy Tortellini Pasta Salad
For the Pasta Salad
- Cheese tortellini
- Broccoli florets and sliced carrots
- Red and green bell peppers
- Green onions and sweet peas
- Jalapeño pepper
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
For the Creamy Herb Dressing
- Mayonnaise
- Orange zest
- Fresh basil and thyme
- Salt and black pepper
Tips for the Best Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Don’t overcook the tortellini or it can become too soft after chilling.
- Cool the vegetables quickly after steaming to keep their bright color and crisp texture.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 4 hours so the flavors have time to blend together.
- Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak to turn this into a hearty main dish.
- Fresh herbs give the dressing the best flavor, but dried herbs work in a pinch.
What to Serve With Tortellini Pasta Salad
This creamy tortellini pasta salad pairs well with grilled chicken, burgers, steak, or simple summer sandwiches. It’s also a great make-ahead side dish for cookouts, potlucks, and holiday gatherings.
For a lighter summer meal, serve it with fresh fruit, grilled vegetables, or iced tea and lemonade.
This creamy tortellini pasta salad is one of those recipes that somehow tastes even better after a few hours in the refrigerator, making it ideal for busy summer days, parties, and casual family dinners. Whether you serve it as a side dish or add your favorite protein for a complete meal, it’s fresh, colorful, and always a crowd favorite.
Creamy Tortellini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Tortellini Pasta Salad ingredients
- 8 ounce package refrigerated tortellini
- 2 cups broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup carrots sliced into rounds
- ½ cup green onions chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup green bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup sweet peas fresh or thawed from frozen
- ¼ cup jalapeno pepper diced
Dressing ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsps orange zest finely grated
- 2 Tbsps fresh basil chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 tsps fresh thyme chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tsps salt
- ½ tsps black pepper
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
Make the pasta salad
- Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.8 ounce package refrigerated tortellini
- Steam the broccoli and carrots just until tender-crisp. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool completely.2 cups broccoli florets, 1 cup carrots
- In a large bowl, combine the tortellini, broccoli, carrots, green onions, bell peppers, sweet peas, and jalapeño. Refrigerate while preparing the dressing.½ cup green onions, ½ cup red bell pepper, ½ cup green bell pepper, ¼ cup jalapeno pepper, ½ cup sweet peas
Make the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange zest, basil, thyme, salt, and black pepper.1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsps orange zest, 2 Tbsps fresh basil, 2 tsps fresh thyme, 1 tsps salt, ½ tsps black pepper
- Add about half of the dressing to the salad and toss gently. Taste and add more dressing as desired. If adding chicken or another protein, you will likely want to use all of the dressing.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top before serving. For best flavor, refrigerate the salad for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.½ cup mozzarella cheese
Notes
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini works best for this recipe.
- Be careful not to overcook the tortellini or it may become too soft after chilling.
- Steam the broccoli and carrots just until tender-crisp to keep the vegetables fresh and colorful.
- Fresh basil and thyme give the dressing the best flavor, but dried herbs may be substituted if needed.
- This salad tastes best after chilling for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better.
- Add grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or tofu to turn this into a complete meal.
- If the salad thickens after refrigeration, stir in a small spoonful of mayonnaise or a splash of milk before serving.
Adapted from a recipe given to me by my Foodie Soul Sister, Amanda Smith.
This was such a delicious salad. I added some thin grilled chicken with lemon pepper seasoning to make it a complete meal, but I could easily see serving it for a large group without. The dressing was fabulous, easy and so flavorful.
Thanks Irene! The grilled chicken sounds like a perfect pairing with the tortellini salad. 🙂
I’m making this to take to a luncheon later on today! I couldn’t decide between all the yummy side dishes you have but this one has been calling me for awhile now! Thanks for all the great recipes Sally.
Thanks, Marcia! This is such a nice comment. Tortellini Primavera Salad is one of my favorites and I’m glad you chose it!
We love this recipe! I’ve made it with all kinds of tortellini. Same Club has lots of different kinds & all of them have been great! Very yummy, healthy & easy dinner, my favorite kind!
Thanks, Erin! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂
This tortellini salad is terrific! I left out the broccoli since my husband hates it but other than that followed the recipe exactly and added cubed mozzarella instead of shredded.
Very good! Made it for a potluck at work. Left out the jalapeños because you never know who likes them and who doesn’t. I also added grilled chicken. Looks great and tasted even better! The orange zest went well with the chicken and added a fresh taste. Will definitely make again!
Hi Sally,
this looks so fresh and delicious, and the orange peel is genius!
I feel like I should give a shout-out to Amanda too…lovely story of friendship ladies!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Lee-Ann! First of all, the salad really is delicious and the orange peel is kind of what makes it. I’ll pass on your shout out to Amanda, she is such an amazing friend. I really appreciate you stopping by. Have a great week!
Oh my goodness YOU are my foodie soul sister! This looks fabulous with your updates, I will need to make it for my upcoming family reunion! Yum, yum, yum!
I was thinking about you the other day and our “meet you at the fence” picture came to mind…next thing I knew, this was dinner. I can only imagine how fun a family reunion will be with your family. We need to catch up soon! Thanks for commenting. xoxo