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Overhead shot of tortellini salad in a white bowl.
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4.88 from 16 votes

Tortellini Salad

This fresh, vibrant, and utterly delicious Tortellini Salad feeds a crowd on a dime. The best part: you can put it together in minutes!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Total Cost: $15.57 recipe/ $1.29 serving)
Servings: 12 cups
Calories: 186kcal
Author: Monti Carlo

Ingredients

  • 1 lb cheese tortellini* $2.98
  • 1 summer squash $1.10
  • 1 zucchini $0.93
  • 1/2 tsp salt $0.02
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes $2.98
  • 1/2 red onion** $0.47
  • 1/2 cup chopped Italian Parsley $0.27
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed $2.18
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives $2.37
  • 3/4 cup Italian dressing*** $0.78
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese $0.33

Instructions

  • First, cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Then drain well and cool in a very large bowl in the fridge.
  • While the tortellini is cooking, slice the summer squash and the zucchini into 1/4-inch rounds and then quarter the rounds. Add them to a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and mix.
  • Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Slice the red onion in 1/4 inch half moons and soak it in cold water to dull its sharp flavor. Chop the parsley, and if the baby spinach leaves are large, chop them as well.
  • Once the tortellini has cooled, top it with the cherry tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, squash, baby spinach, and sliced black olives. Then drizzle with 1/2 cup of Italian dressing.
  • Next, top the salad with chopped Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese. Then drizzle with the final 1/4 cup of Italian dressing. Finally, mix, and serve! Wasn't that easy?

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I chose cheese tortellini to keep the flavor profile simple, but you can use any kind of tortellini.
**Soak the red onion in cold water for a few minutes to dull the sharp flavor.
***I use our homemade Italian dressing, but you can also use store-bought.
Ingredient Substitutions:
  • Tortellini: If you can't access this ingredient, substitute it with rotini, farfalle, penne, orecchiette, or gnocchi. (And call it Pasta Salad!)
  • Cherry Tomatoes: If you're not a fan of tomatoes, try using red bell peppers instead.
  • Red Onion: You can substitute with green onion, white onion, or yellow onion.
  • Summer Squash and Zucchini: Try cucumber or carrots.
  • Black Olives: Substitute with green olives or capers.
  • Baby Spinach and Italian Parsley: Adds herbaceous peppery notes. Substitute the spinach with kale or arugula. You can also switch the parsley with fresh basil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 543mg | Fiber: 3g