Name: Luigi’s Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 205 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: For the Pasta Salad; ½ teaspoon salt, for pasta water; 12 ounces frozen cheese tortellini; 1 seedless cucumber, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds, then quartered; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered; 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese pearls; 1 pound Genoa salami, cut into ½-inch cubes; ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives; ½ cup sliced pepperoncini, drained; ½ medium red onion, finely chopped; ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley; 2 ounces finely shredded Parmesan cheese; For the Vinaigrette; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; ½ cup red wine vinegar; 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons dried onion powder; 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning; Salt and pepper to taste

Mains

Luigi’s Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad

Author: Mary DiSomma

Luigi turned me onto the idea of using tortellini in a pasta salad recipe. He always brings this one when he visits us on the farm, and it never fails to impress the guests!

Cheese tortellini is one of my favorite pastas. These tender pillows of dough and cheese, believe it or not, make a perfect main ingredient for this Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe. Pasta salads are great because they are perfect for potlucks, simple lunches, and leftovers. I have to thank my friend Luigi for this recipe.

This recipe makes a wonderful side, but it also holds its own as a main dish. It’s great made ahead of time and it keeps well in the refrigerator. In fact, after the flavors have had some time to meld, it tastes even more delicious. It might be too good, in fact… it never lasts more than a couple days!

Luigi’s Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad

From fresh herbs to salty olives and juicy tomatoes, this colorful salad is bright, delicious, and really versatile. Try adding different ingredients to suit your taste: Sun-dried tomatoes, green or red bell peppers, olives, pastrami, prosciutto, ham. Whatever you have on hand or whatever sounds good!

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes 25 min
Cook Time: 3 hours 3 hrs
Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes 3 hrs 25 min

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it reaches a boil, add ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the tortellini until they are al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse it gently with cool water. Transfer the cooked and cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl.
While the tortellini is cooking, ice or chop your preferred ingredients and the cucumber, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mozzarella pearls, salami cubes, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, and red onion into the bowl with the cooked tortellini. Toss gently to combine.
In a jar, combine all of the dressing ingredients except the salt and pepper. Shake vigorously to combine. Taste the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the dressing to the bowl with the salad ingredients. Add the chopped Italian parsley and the Parmesan cheese. Toss gently to combine. I like to let this salad rest for 3 hours at room temperature or refrigerate it, loosely covered, overnight before serving.