Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad

Spruce up your cookout menu with this super simple Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad. With vegan tortellini as its base, you already know this pasta salad will be a new family favorite. You can make this colorful and flavorful plant-based salad recipe with just a few easy ingredients and a few minutes. 

Tortellini pasta salad is here to make your summer cookout healthier and more colorful. Blend in some sweet and chewy sun-dried tomatoes, fresh baby spinach, kalamata olives, and a whole lot of grated vegan parmesan alongside balsamic vinegar dressing into the mix is sure to become your favorite potluck vegan pasta salad.

You can make the tortellini salad a day before serving, but do not add the dressing until right before serving, as it will make the tortellini soggy.

What is Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad?

Tortellini salad is an Italian-inspired pasta salad with unique textures and flavors. This quick vegan lunch recipe combines vegan tortellini, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, baby spinach, and vegan parmesan tossed in a balsamic vinegar dressing. 

The vegan parmesan dressing sticks well to the vegan tortellini, and the olive adds an Italian flair to this vegan pasta salad. The balsamic vinegar gives additional depth to the dish and makes it rich and tasty, while the addition of roasted sun-dried tomatoes gives it a unique smoky flavor. 

The spinach leaves add an extra layer of freshness and balance to the dish, and the vegan parmesan adds the right amount of tang. This light and fresh plant-based meal recipe is a crowd-pleaser.

Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad Dressing

You can prepare the dressing by mixing olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. This homemade vinaigrette dressing always adds zest to your meals and is relatively easy to make and versatile. It’s fantastic for salads, fruits, and vegetables and drizzling over just about anything.

Beloved by Italians, balsamic vinegar is a tangy and bold vinegar from the Modena region of Italy. One of the most significant ingredients in many dishes, balsamic vinegar has a sweet, rich taste and a distinctive aroma. While it is often served with fruit, vegetables, or salads, it is also an uplifting addition to homemade dressing.

How to make Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad?

Ingredients

  • 9 oz vegan tortellini
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 1/4 cup black or kalamata olives halved
  • 1/4 cup grated vegan parmesan
  • red pepper flakes for topping
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook the tortellini according to package directions and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Prepare the dressing by mixing together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
  3. To the mixing bowl, add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and dressing, and toss until well combined.
  4. Served topped with parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired.

Recipe Tips:

  • Don’t worry if you don’t have time to make the dressing! The vinaigrette can be easily replaced with store-bought dressing.
  • Ensure that the tortellini are cooked al dente to prevent them from falling apart and to avoid mushy pasta salad.
  • The best way to enjoy your tortellini pasta salad is by letting it marinate for 1-2 hours. It allows all the flavors to come together nicely, and the tortellini has a chance to soak up all the deliciousness.

What are tortellini?

Tortellini are a type of filled pasta characterized by an oval or spherical shape. Belongs to the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, tortellini is made by wrapping pieces of flattened pasta around a filling and folding the edges over to form the shape.

The word tortellini comes from the diminutive of torta, a cake. This refers to the fact that they resemble little cakes. Tortellini are related to another type of filled pasta, cappelletti. Tortellini comes in two different styles: cheese-filled and tofu-filled.

How to serve tortellini pasta salad?

The best part of making a plant-based easy salad recipe is that you can serve it either chilled or at room temperature, and it tastes delicious both ways.

Room Temperature – Served immediately after preparing the tortellini salad while the tortellini and roasted tomatoes are still warm.

Chilled – If you intend to serve your tortellini salad cold on a hot summer day, allow it to come to room temperature after preparing it. Afterward, store covered in the fridge until ready to eat.

Can I make it ahead?

You can easily make vegan tortellini salad ahead of time. Just assemble the salad without the spinach, toss it with half of the Italian dressing, and then store it in the fridge. When ready to serve, add the spinach and give it a final toss with the rest of the dressing. By doing this, your salad will not be on the dry side and will be super fresh. This easy pasta salad recipe tastes fantastic the next day.

How to store the tortellini pasta salad?

This easy vegan meal recipe is so delicious that I highly doubt there will be any leftovers, but if you’re making a large batch to satisfy future cravings, good news – it’s storage friendly! The tortellini salad is best kept in an airtight container in the fridge, which will stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Would ravioli or other pasta work in this salad?

I would suggest using tortellini because that is the traditional pasta size in this salad. However, you could also use spiral pasta, cellentani, penne or any other pasta you would like.

Can you freeze vegan tortellini pasta salad?

If you have some leftover Tuscan tortellini pasta salad, don’t worry – you can freeze it! It is imperative to remember that the texture of tomatoes may change once they have been frozen and thawed. Transfer the salad to a freezer-safe container once it has cooled to room temperature. You can freeze these for up to 2 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use.

Ingredients

  • 1 9oz pack of vegan tortellini
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup black or kalamata olives, halved
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated vegan parmesan
  • Red pepper flakes, for topping
tortellini pasta salad,

Tuscan Tortellini Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 9 oz vegan tortellini
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 1/4 cup black or kalamata olives halved
  • 1/4 cup grated vegan parmesan
  • red pepper flakes  for topping
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cook the tortellini according to package directions, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Prepare the dressing by mixing together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
  • To the mixing bowl, add in spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and dressing and toss until well combined.
  • Served topped with parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired.