Tortellini Salad

This tortellini salad with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula makes such a great summer salad! It’s completely vegan, insanely delicious, and just perfect for BBQs and potlucks! And all you need is 15 minutes! 

Why This Recipe Works

This tortellini salad is actually a spin-off of my Mediterranean pasta salad. We’ve been making it for years and it’s always a winner! I absolutely love to make it in the warmer months for BBQs or potlucks. It’s always gone super fast. 

And the recipe couldn’t be much easier. All you need is 15 minutes! While the tortellini are cooking on the stovetop, chop up the sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, and cherry tomatoes. 

Then roast the pine nuts in a pan without oil until fragrant. Roasting them brings out their unique flavor. When the tortellini are done, just place everything in a large bowl and stir in the vegan pesto and the arugula. 

I used store-bought vegan pesto rosso with sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe to keep things super easy. But of course you could also make it from scratch. You can use my recipe for homemade vegan pesto with basil and replace the amount of basil and parsley with sun-dried tomatoes (1 cup in total). 

What Goes Into This Recipe 

• Vegan Tortellini – check your local health food store or organic grocery store. Whole Foods carries vegan tortellini and ravioli. 
• Pesto – I used a store-bought pesto rosso, a red pesto with sun-dried tomatoes. You could also use my vegan pesto with basil for a change. Most pestos contain Parmesan cheese, but it’s fairly easy to find a vegan version these days. 
• Sun-dried Tomatoes – in oil. 
• Artichokes – I used marinated artichoke hearts in oil. 
• Cherry Tomatoes – they are more aromatic than bigger tomatoes. 
• Arugula – if you’re not a fan of arugula, you can replace it with baby spinach. 
• Olives – black olives. 
• Pine Nuts – roast them in a pan without oil until golden for the perfect flavor. 
• Salt & Pepper 

How To Make This Recipe 

1. Step: Cook the tortellini according to the instructions on the package. Set aside. 

2. Step: In the meantime, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the artichokes. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves. 

3. Step: Place the pine nuts in a frying pan without oil and cook them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir them frequently until golden. Pay attention and don’t leave the stove as they burn easily. 

4. Step: In a large bowl, combine the cooked tortellini with the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the roasted pine nuts and fresh basil. 

Recipes Notes 

• If you’re not a fan or arugula, you can use baby spinach instead. 
• Add red pepper flakes for a bit of spiciness if you want. 
• If you want to change things up a bit, add roasted chickpeas for extra flavor and crunchiness. Besides, chickpeas are a great source of plant-based protein and they add lots of nutrients to this salad. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does This Recipe Last?

Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the salad will last up to 2-3 days. 

I can’t find vegan tortellini. What else could I use? 

If you can’t find vegan tortellini, you could also make this salad with spaghetti or rotini pasta. It’s also great with pan-fried gnocchi. 

Related Recipes 

• Mediterranean Pasta Salad 
• California Pasta Salad 
• Pesto Pasta Salad 
• Vegan Ravioli Salad 
• Orzo Pasta Salad 

I Love to Hear From You!

I hope you like this tortellini salad as much as we do around here.

If you give it try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

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Sina