Costco Copycat Tortellini Salad with balsamic vinegar is the ultimate summer salad. Always a crowd pleaser as it is is not your average pasta salad. We love the Costco tortellini salad but improved the flavor profile. Our tortellini salad recipe allows you to make a huge bowl for your BBQ in about 45 minutes and it’s pretty easy on the wallet.
Our Costco copycat tortellini salad transforms a rudimentary side dish into a plate filling side that goes with whatever protein you place on your grill. The balsamic vinegar adds a specialty Italian deli taste to the salad. The ingredients below can be expanded to include peppers, kidney beans, pepperoni or grilled chicken for a heartier salad. Experiment with different dressings. Substitute Greek dressing and substitute feta cheese for the mozzerella to give the salad a Greek flair!
What is tortellini salad?
If you are unfamiliar with this salad, it is a classic summer salad that is so delicious and can be healthier than your standard mayo laden pasta salad. Who wants a heavy salad at a Summer party?
This salad is made with tortellini, vegetables, salami, chunks of cheese and a light dressing. Tortellini are pasta shaped like small rings and filled with cheese, meat or vegetables. Use cheese filling for this recipe. The vegetables in this salad include tomatoes, red onion, and olives but can also include peppers, cucumber, peas or whatever vegetables you enjoy in a salad. The dressing that works best is a robust Italian dressing or red wine vinaigrette. A Greek dressing can also work well. Store bought dressings are fine, but feel free to use homemade.
Tortellini are much fancier than pasta giving this salad a wow factor that store bought or plain pasta lacks. It can easily be made in scale ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator making it a perfect side for a large crowd.
Is tortellini salad easy to make?
This salad is so easy to make you may never buy it from the warehouse again!
Can Tortellini Salad Be Made Ahead of Time?
As noted above, yes it can. To make this salad ahead of time, assemble the salad but only include about half the dressing and do not add the tomato. The tomatoes have a tendency to get soft quickly when sitting in dressing. Once assembled, place in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 12 hours for best results. You can get away with 24 hours but we find the quality begins to wain. When you are ready to eat the salad, add the tomatoes, season with additional dressing and serve.
Can Tortellini Salad Be Frozen?
Freezing the salad is a bit tricky. Technically, yes it can be frozen. However, as with most food products that you freeze, you will find a drop off in quality. To freeze, simply assemble the salad without tomatoes and cheese, and do not add the dressing. The salad can then be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat the salad, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then add the tomatoes, cheese and dressing. We do not recommend this option unless it is absolutely necessary.
Is Tortellini Salad Healthy?
When compared to the store-bought, mayonnaise laden traditional macaroni salad, our tortellini salad can be a healthier option. It all comes down to the ingredients you choose to use and not overloading salad with the dressing.
To improve the health profile, consider choosing whole-wheat tortellini, low-fat cheese, and low fat dressing. These choices can make your salad a good source of protein, fiber, and vitamins. You can also add healthy fats to your salad by making your own dressing and using olive oil or avocado in your dressing.
Is tortellini salad gluten free
Not without a lot of work selecting the proper ingredients. First, pasta is not gluten friendly so you must find gluten free tortellini. They exist but are a bit pricey. Then you must ensure the salami, cheese and dressings also comply. You can also make the dressing yourself.
What can I serve with tortellini salad?
This salad is the perfect accompaniment to virtually any protein you may cook on your grill or smoker. This salad is a magnificent side to chicken, beef, pork, seafood, shrimp, kabobs, burgers or sausage. It works especially well when paired with a spicy burger or sausage and peppers. Ussually a summer time or cookout side dish, it is good enough to serve all year round as an accompaniment to any casual meal.
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How to make tortellini salad
Our Costco copycat tortellini salad recipe is so simple to make and easily scales to feed a large crowd. Start by cutting the salami and vegetables. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the tortellini. Cook until “al dente.” Do not over cook. After you drain the tortellini, run them under cold water to stop from cooking further. When cool, drain well and set aside.
To assemble, add half the tortellini to a Large pasta salad serving bowl followed by half the vegetables, salami and cheese. Cover with remaining tortellini, salami, vegetables and cheese. Add dressing and mix well. Drizzle with an Aged balsamic vinegar. The Giuseppe Giusto from Modena is one of our favorites. A more modestly priced balsamic such as the Kirkland brand is also very good for this salad. Click here to shop for an aged balsamic vinegar that suits your lifestyle and budget. Be conservative with the dressing as it is easy to add more dressing but, once added, it can’t be removed. Place in refrigerator to cool. Enjoy!
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Costco Copycat Tortellini Salad
8
servings20
minutes10
minutesThis copycat Costco tortellini salad tastes better than the store-bought version and is kinder to your pocketbook. Think of it as macaroni salad on steroids.
Ingredients
6 Cups frozen tortellini, or 1.5 pounds
3 Oz Genoa salami cut into matchsticks
5 Oz Grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 Oz sliced black or pearled olives (about 1/2 cup) or to taste
1/3 Cup Red onion sliced thin
2/3 Cup Mozzerella cut into small cubes
1/2 Cup Wishbone zesty robusto Italian dressing
2-3 Shakes of balsamicy vinegar
Click to Try Amazon Fresh for your groceries.
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While waiting, cut up salami, olives, red onion and mozzerella
- Add salt and tortellini to boiling water. Cook til Al dente. Do not overcook.
- Drain tortellini and immediately rinse under cold water to stop from cooking further. When cool, place in large bowl and add tomatoes, olives, salami, red onion and Italian dressing. Mix well. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, Be certain to add conservatively as you can always add more just before serving. Place in refrigerator until cold. When ready to serve, taste and add more dressing if necessary.
Recipe Video
Notes
- This recipe is for 4 people. You can easily scale it to feed a large party by doubling or tripling the ingredients.
- Swapping feta cheese and Greek dressing for mozzerella and Italian dressing will give the salad a Greek flair.
- Balsamic vinegar can get quite pricey. The more expensive varieties are incomparable when compared to the moderately priced varieties. When made in a tomato salad, we strongly recommend a better aged balsamic. For this recipe, while the more expensive will be notable, you definitely can make a great salad with the modestly priced varieties. If you love summer tomato salads, purchase a better balsamic. Know a foodie, it would be a great gift. Click here for a selection of higher end balsamic vinegars.
- As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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Came out great!
It’s a classic…thanks for sharing.