Tortellini Caprese Salad

This Tortellini Caprese Salad is an easy dinner or side for the summer! It's simply made with cheese tortellini pasta, lots of colorful cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic glaze.

This Tortellini Caprese Salad is a delicious, easy recipe using basic ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. This is the perfect side dish for summer picnics, barbecues, potlucks and parties especially Memorial Day, 4th of July and Father's Day. This might be the ultimate pasta salad thanks to the wonderful cheesy and pillowy tortellini pasta.

Caprese salad is one of my favorite summer salads! I love the combination of fresh and juicy ripe tomatoes with rich mozzarella, beautiful green basil and the simple combination of olive oil and balsamic. All these ingredients seemed perfect for a pasta salad. And, why not add in delicious and hardy cheese tortellini?

If you're looking for even more recipes for your next gathering check out these recipes. Game day? Try this Buffalo Onion Dip! Picnic? Check out this stunning Trader Joe's Crudité Platter or Cucumber Feta Mint Salad. Summer desserts for bbq? My easy Salted Pistachio Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats or rich Fudgy Brown Butter Brownies.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Can be eaten right away
• Even better after being refrigerate for an hour
• Easily made in advance
• Easy to customize with your favorite add-ins or leftover vegetables and protein
• Delicious vegetarian meal or side
• Must-have side dish for summer parties, picnics, barbecues and potlucks
• Easily doubled or tripled for large gatherings
• Perfect for summer holidays - Memorial Day, 4th of July and Father's Day

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Tortellini: I use fresh refrigerated tortellini. You can use any type of cheese tortellini.
• Mozzarella: For this recipe, I used fresh mozzarella balls that were marinated in a blend of herbs and oil. I decided to leave the balls whole but you can also slice in half or quarters. These can be found in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store. You can also use normal fresh mozzarella balls or a mozzarella log and cube it. If this mozzarella is too expensive or you don’t want to make a separate trip, you can substitute regular mozzarella and chop it into cubes.
• Tomatoes: I have used cherry or grape tomatoes. I feel like the smaller tomatoes have a more delicious flavor compared to a roma tomato for this particular recipe. Also, I used rainbow mix variety because I love how colorful they are in the pasta salad.
• Basil: I love the taste of fresh basil for this recipe. I have not tried it with dried basil.
• Olive Oil: I always suggest getting the best olive oil you can! You won’t regret it.
• Balsamic Glaze: It adds a bit of sweet and tangy flavor to each bite of this pasta salad and its thick, sticky sauce enhances the presentation, as well as the deliciousness, of the dish. You can make your own or use a store bought version. Amount used is at your own discretion.
• Salt + Seasonings: I recommend using kosher or sea salt for seasoning. You'll need more for also salting your pasta water. Add chili flakes for a bit of heat and freshly ground black pepper to season the pasta salad before serving.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Carefully read the directions for cooking the cheese tortellini. Cook as directed EXCEPT cut the cooking time by ¾. So if it says to cook the tortellini for 4 minutes, you cook it for 3 minutes instead.
2. After cooking the tortellini, drain the tortellini in a colander and run pasta until cold water to stop the cooking process. Set the tortellini off to the side to cool.

3. While the pasta cools, wash, dry and slice cherry tomatoes in half.
4. In a large bowl, add cheese tortellini, tomatoes, mozzarella and olive oil.

5. Mix the pasta salad together. Set in the fridge for at least an hour.
6. Toss pasta salad again. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, and/or crushed red pepper). Serve with basil and balsamic glaze.

Variations

• Add protein! While this is a delicious basic pasta salad. You can make it even more filling by adding it or eating it with grilled chicken, tofu, shrimp or steak.
• Substitute what you already have! Incorporate other veggies and ingredients you like or already have on hand like roasted red peppers, cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salami, salad mix, mushrooms, artichoke hearts or avocado.

Expert Tips

• Don't Cook Your Pasta Completely! I found that cooking your pasta for the full recommended time results in a mushy pasta that will fall apart otherwise. You want it pretty al date with a little bite. I found that cooking my pasta ¾ of the recommend time has achieved that result. So, for pasta with a recommended cooking time of 4 minutes, I would only cook it for 3 minutes.
• Rinse, rinse, and rinse: After your pasta has finished cooking, immediately remove from heat, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. This stops the pasta from overcooking.
• Check the seasoning!: The flavor of pasta salad changes when cold. Make sure to toss the pasta salad after refrigerating to evenly redistribute and taste, re-seasoning before serving.

Recipe FAQs

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