Tortellini Pasta Salad with sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto

Every now and then, I make a recipe that feels like a grown-up version of something I ate in my childhood. This Tortellini Pasta Salad with sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto feels like one of those recipes. It takes pasta salad – a staple at summer family gatherings throughout my childhood – and kicks it up a notch with more sophisticated ingredients that are still so simple and humble.

Italian ingredients to love

This Tortellini Pasta Salad includes some of my favorite Italian ingredients including prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and a healthy dose of fresh basil. I also threw some garden peas into the mix because I had them on hand. It’s ingredients everyone loves, but for some reason don’t always end up in the traditional pasta salad.

I will say the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes really help to make this. The flavors are so beautiful and unique to those specific ingredients that they just make this a standout meal.

Tortellini Pasta Salad is fast perfection

The Tortellini Pasta Salad dish is one of my favorite last summer recipes. It’s perfect for when the days are hot, long and you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Most tortellini cooks up in about 15 minutes and then its just layering in the ingredients to get delicious, simple perfection.

It can be served as a side dish or as a main dish. When we make it, we usually eat it as the main meal. However, if you’re looking to add an additional protein to the mix, you could try some simple grilled chicken or even a nice piece of salmon.

I do recommend serving this Tortellini Pasta Salad warm. You can make it and serve it cold if you like, but I personally think it tastes better when served warm. Also, I like Tortellini Pasta Salad best with cheese tortellini. I have this love affair with cheese. But you can also use spinach tortellini too.

Dressing Tortellini Pasta Salad

The dressing I use on this is comprised mostly of extra virgin olive oil. Sometimes nothing beats a good olive oil. But, I do add in some special ingredients like champagne vinegar, which can be found at most grocery stores. And I grate shallots and garlic into this dressing to give it an incredible taste. Grating the shallots and garlic allows them to be very small, or even in some cases almost purees the shallots. It works out really well for a dressing (or any pasta sauce too).

Tips for making Tortellini Pasta Salad

• Again, I recommend serving this warm. I think it is best served and best tasting when it is fresh off the stove.
• However, you can make this Tortellini Pasta Salad a day in advance. But just make sure that you wait to add the prosciutto until you’re ready to serve. It tends to get a little slimy if it’s sitting in the bowl overnight, or even really for a few hours. If you’re plating this for people, I even recommend adding it to the plate instead of mixing it together with everything else.
• Also, make sure to use a really good extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. Since it is such a big component for the dressing it really makes all the flavors round and robust. This one {HERE} is my favorite.
• Use great salt and don’t be afraid to use it. Add a little at a time until the taste is right.
• Drain and rinse the artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Often both of these will come in an olive oil mix if you buy them in a jar. However, you don’t need all those flavors in this and they will compete with the flavors of the Tortellini Salad overall.
• I like to use a zester to grate my shallots and garlic. Grating it through a zester almost purees them and it really works well in dressings. I like this one {HERE}.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you will come back again! Also, if you are looking for a more traditional pasta salad for cookouts and get togethers, check out this Rotini Pasta Salad {HERE}.

Tortellini Pasta Salad with sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto

Tortellini Pasta Salad is one of the easiest meals you'll make! With the delicious ingredients in this one like sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto and artichokes you will want to make this again and again.

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: pasta salad, summer recipes, Tortellini pasta salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Large pot
• Pasta strainer

Ingredients

Tortellini Pasta Salad

• 20 oz Three cheese tortellini
• 12 oz. rinsed artichoke hearts, halved or quartered When buying by the jar, you might have to buy two. I like to use the Reese brand, drain them and rinse them.
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes You might have to buy two jars to get the correct amount. I recommend using jared over the dried.
• 6 - 8 oz package of Prosciutto You can usually buy this in 3 oz. packages. If you are slicing it fresh from a deli it is just under half a pound.
• 1/2 cup fresh peas
• 1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil divided

Shallot Champagne Dressing

• 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. gated shallot I like to use a lemon zester for this.
• 3 Tbsp. fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, gated small
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• Pitch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Heat water over the stove in a large pot and add 2 tsp. of salt. When boiling, cook tortellini to package directions.
• While the tortellini is cooking, drain and rinse the artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside.
• Cook the peas.
• Chop the basil (for both portions of the recipe), grate the shallot, garlic and parmesan cheese.
• Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk or shake in a mason jar.
• Once the pasta is done, drain it and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then gently mix it with the other pasta ingredients.
• Pour dressing on top and lightly mix again.
• Top with additional basil and salt and pepper to taste. I recommend serving this warm. Enjoy!