Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
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This Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad is made with a vegan red pepper pesto, tomatoes & arugula. A great vegan side dish for a BBQ!
What’s better than a pasta a salad??? A pasta salad where the pasta is replaced with vegan tortellini! This Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad is simple to make, SUPER tasty and the perfect recipe to bring to a party. It can be prepped ahead of time and chilled in the fridge. The pesto is packed with flavor and the tortellini adds the perfect bite. It is a must make!
Step One: Make the Pesto
This pesto is super easy to make and has SO much flavor. You might not ever want to make pesto the traditional way again!
Here is what you need:
- whole roasted red peppers – from a jar
- fresh basil
- garlic
- sunflower seeds – or sub pine nuts
- vegan parmesan
- sun-dried tomatoes
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
Add all of the pesto ingredients (except for the oil) to a food processor. Blend until a paste starts to form. Scrape down the sides and with the motor running, add oil until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Set aside.
Step Two: Prep the Salad Ingredients
Next, we want to prep the veggies and boil the tortellini. I used pre-made vegan tortellini from the store. I used Kite Hill, it is my favorite vegan tortellini!
To cook it, just bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tortellini and boil for a couple of minutes. These don’t take long to cook, so be sure not to let them boil too long! Drain the tortellini and rinse with cold water.
The other veggies we are using are arugula, cherry tomatoes and shallots. Halve or quarter the tomatoes, finely mince the shallot and get a couple handfuls of arugula.
Step Three: Assemble & Serve
To assemble, add the chilled tortellini, arugula, cherry tomatoes and shallots to a large bowl. Squeeze some lemon juice over everything and add some of the pesto. The pesto recipes makes A LOT of pesto, so don’t feel like you have to use it all. Just add to taste and you can use the leftovers for another recipe.
You can serve this right way, or pop it in the fridge to chill. Right before serving, add some torn basil and dig in!
This Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad is everything you could want in a summer salad. Easy to make and so delicious!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE PESTO
- 2 whole roasted red peppers from a jar, drained
- 1 cup basil packed
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds shelled, or sub pine nuts
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- 2 9-ounce packages vegan tortellini I used Kite Hill
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 2 large handfuls arugula
- 1 lemon juiced
- basil for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Add all of the pesto ingredients (except for the oil) to a food processor. Blend until a paste starts to form. Scrape down the sides and with the motor running, add oil until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to the package instructions. It should only take a couple minutes – be sure not to overcook them. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- To assemble, add the tortellini, arugula, tomatoes, shallot, and lemon juice to a large bowl. Add the pesto (to taste) and stir until combined – this makes a lot of pesto, so you can reserve some on the side if you don't want to use it all.
- Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge. Top with torn basil right before serving.
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