Easy Pesto Tortellini Skewers - Tortellini is tossed in pesto and skewered with sun-dried tomatoes for an easy and delicious appetizer.
Click here for my Nut Free Pesto Sauce recipe!
I am a firm believer that food on a stick is much tastier than food not on a stick.
This pasta appetizer can be made hours or even a day ahead of time, making it a great option for events or holiday appetizers.
You can add more ingredients to this recipe if you want but if you keep it as is, all you will need is refrigerated tortellini, pesto sauce and sun-dried tomatoes.
Some good additions to the tortellini skewers would be mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted red pepper and fresh basil.
I have also been known to drizzle a bit of balsamic glaze over the top when serving.
The inspiration for this tortellini appetizer came from this recipe I saw on Taste of Home.
TIP: A friend of mine recently revealed to me that she skips the skewers and just combines all the ingredients with a little parmesan cheese in a bowl and eats it for dinner - GENIUS!
The reason I use the fresh, refrigerated tortellini (usually found by the fancy cheese or prepared foods in the grocery store) is because it cooks quickly and I find that the dried or frozen become very delicate and can fall apart if overcooked.
However, I know that fresh pasta can be pricey and I'm happy to report that I've had several readers tell me they've used frozen with good result.
I like to use the package of tortellini that combines the green and white. I think this is especially pretty when serving as a Christmas appetizer but you can choose whichever variety of tortellini you like.
Because these Easy Pesto Tortellini Skewers are delicious both chilled and at room temperature they are a fabulous choice for potlucks, BBQ's or brunches.
If you love tortellini as much as I do then you might want to check out a few of my other favorite tortellini recipes.
Printable Recipe Card
Easy Pesto Tortellini Skewers
Ingredients
- 20 ounces Tortellini refrigerated (regular & spinach mix preferred but any variety will work)
- ½ cup Pesto prepared
- 4 ounces Sun Dried Tomatoes packed in oil, Julienned
- Small Skewers
Instructions
- Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and place either back in pan or in a large bowl.
- Stir pesto into tortellini to coat evenly.
- Drain liquid from sun dried tomatoes and place in small bowl.
- Skewer one tortellini followed by a strip of tomato then one more tortellini and one more tomato.
- Refrigerate until serving.
Debra @ Bowl Me over says
Perfect party food - easy too - love that!!!
Angela says
This is genius! So simple but great flavor and so darn pretty too!
nancy@skinnykitchen.com says
What a yummy idea, Christine!
April J Harris says
What a great idea, Christine! they are my kind of appetizer!
Eileen Kelly says
Oh my goodness! I am an appetizer gal and you have made my day! These look delicious. I love that they can be at room temperature. This will be pinned, prepped and made asap!
jamie says
I always keep a huge bag of tortellini in the freezer for quick meals. Love finding new ways to use them!
Aeryn Lynne says
Awwwh, those are the cutest skewers I've seen in a while. Never thought of adding pasta to one before, what an awesome idea! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Liz Mays says
You don't even know how much I love pesto. These look wonderful! Incidentally, I had tortellini for lunch!
linda spiker says
I absolutely love this idea!
Jennifer says
I have a wedding I have to cater soon and those look so good and super easy to prepare!
Patty Haxton Anderson says
I love these appetizers. What a great treat for the guests.
Manju | Cooking Curries says
I love tortellini skewers for apps. I make them with olives and fermented feta! This is a great combo too.
Alana says
How many skewers does this make?
foodyschmoody says
I don't have an exact number of skewers. That being said, I just looked back at my photos and it looks like there are just over 40 skewers on the platter. My husband picked on some before the photos were shot and some tortellini got torn during cooking so I would say at least 50. I used the Buitoni brand of refrigerated tortellini if that helps to keep the number similar.
Stacia says
What a tasty treat! My family loved these at the family picnic. For the kids I left out the sun dried tomatoes but for the adults, I used aleady julienned dried sundried tomatoes. They are easy to assemble. I used a bit more pesto (and make sure you buy one you really like) but my family really likes sauce. The overall idea was a hit and already these have been requested for our family pasta night (along with the idea of serving room temp tortellini on skewers with small crockpots of different sauce to dip them in). Thanks for sharing!
foodyschmoody says
Oh great! I'm so glad this recipe worked for your picnic! I agree, make sure you buy a GOOD pesto. There are lots that are lousy. I prefer the ones that are sold by the refrigerated pastas or a homemade version. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know your experience with this recipe! I must say, it has quickly become one of my most popular recipes! You've officially made my day today!
Cat says
Can these be made the day before and refrigerated?
foodyschmoody says
I have only made them several hours in advance. Perhaps keep a little pesto on the side and if they seem dry, pour a little extra pesto on top.
Ashley says
Accidentally bought Roasted Red Peppers and they worked really well with the recipe too! Can't wait to try with the tomatoes though! or maybe a combo of both 🙂
foodyschmoody says
I like the red pepper twist!
Katrina Lofgreen says
Hi! Are these served cold, room temp, warm? I was a bit confused on that!
foodyschmoody says
Sorry about the confusion. So, the beauty of these is that they can be served pretty much at any temp. I, however, think the best way is at room temperature.
Maureen says
These look great! Can you please tell me if you used 4" skewers or 6"? Thank you.
foodyschmoody says
Oh Maureen, I wish I had the definitive answer for you. I don't have any skewers on hand to measure. If I had to guess, I would say the 4 inch. The tortellini took up most of the space on the skewer, leaving just enough room to hold the skewer.
Anna says
I'm planning on making some apps for my wedding this summer.. woman on a budget! I'm wondering if I make these on a Thursday, will they stay good and tasty and not dried out if I am serving on Saturday?
Any other ideas of things that could be made on Thursday for Saturday consumption would be appreciated, thank you!!! (Keeping on a budget and serving about 100 people)
foodyschmoody says
I would be very nervous to let it sit for that long. I'd be afraid of the tortellini drying out. As far as other ideas, are you looking for finger foods? I have this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Wraps that can easily be converted into sliders. You could make the chicken ahead and then reheat it the day of and make the sliders or allow others to make the sliders themselves?
Anna says
Ah, I should have mentioned I won't have re-heat abilities on the day-of. Rats!
That said, I may just have all the ingredients ready and ask some friends to put these tortellini bites together on the Saturday morning so they are ready for the evening 🙂
foodyschmoody says
Ah! Yes, it's YOUR day, make your friends do the work! 🙂
Jamie says
Hi if I make them this evening for a lunchte party tomorrow, do you think that they will be fine!? Should I refrigerate over night!?
foodyschmoody says
I would be afraid of them sticking. If you do it, I would suggest, at least doubling the pesto, or adding olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
lex says
I can you use no-refrigerated tortellini?
foodyschmoody says
In my experience dry tortellini and/or frozen tortellini doesn't hold it's shape as well as the fresh, refrigerated varieties. If you have a really great brand that holds together well, by all means go for it.
Mary Beth says
Going to make these this weekend for a camping outing where we all bring appitzers....... cooked tortellini this evening. Let them cool completely and refrigerated so they are ready to assemble. Can’t wait!
Jeanette Hartman says
Mine turned out too dry. Perhaps if I would have cooled the cooked pasta before mixing with the pesto, they would have turned out better. Thoughts?
foodyschmoody says
Hmmm, I'm not sure. I didn't have an issue w/ it being too dry. I haven't had any others either. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. Did you use the amount of pesto listed in the recipe?
Debbi says
I have taken these to several gatherings and they are ALWAYS a hit!!!
foodyschmoody says
🙂
Deborah Dewalt says
This site showed an olive cheese bread with a section of Italian appetizers. This recipe is not linked with the picture. Can anyone tell me how to find this recipe?
foodyschmoody says
I don't have a recipe for an olive cheese bread. Were you directed here from another site perhaps? I'm wondering if another site had a collection of recipes and mine was improperly linked by them?
Vicki says
I just bought the ingredients to make these tomorrow for a lunch potluck. Do I need to refrigerate these after making, or can I make them and then take them directly to potluck? Thanks!
foodyschmoody says
You can take them directly to the potluck!
Ashley says
Hello and thank you for this recipe. I made this for my wedding reception. (We had a party at our house for our wedding reception) These were a big hit! People loved them. I did as well, they were delicious.
Also wanted to comment on a question I seen a few ask about making them a night before. I made these the night before and had them in the fridge and they still tasted fine. No sticking because of the oil in the pesto sauce.
foodyschmoody says
First off, congratulations!!!! Less importantly, thanks so much for letting me know your experience, it really means a lot to me!
Jennifer says
I know boxed/dried tortellini wouldn't be a good choice, but would frozen work? It's half the price of the fresh. However, it's for a party so don't want to goof up the batch.
foodyschmoody says
I can't say as I use fresh. My advice would be to keep a very close eye on it and don't let it overcook one bit. Maybe pull it from the heat a minute or two sooner than you typically would so it can hold it's shape better. Please let me know how it works out for you.
Hopefull1 says
Super easy
Couldn’t find refrigerated tortellini~ bought frozen and cooked to ‘just done’ the night before- which would still work… but maybe don’t add the pesto that early, as they were slightly dry. I stacked my skewers double. And pulled the few leftovers back off the skewers to heat with torn arugula and a shake of shaved pecorino s for dinner the following evening..
A
Karen says
This was a simple recipe to prepare since it only required a few ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly using refrigerated spinach/regular tortellini (boiled 7 minutes) and added a small cube of mozzarella cheese to my skewers. Looked beautiful on a Christmas platter with colored cocktail picks. The flavor was terrific, and I will be making these again!
Laurie says
This recipe looks amazing! Do you know of a good nut free pesto?
foodyschmoody says
I typically make my own https://foodyschmoodyblog.com/nut-free-pesto-sauce/
I have purchased at the grocery store but the brand name is escaping me.
foodyschmoody says
I made these again with my homemade pesto and they're amazing. Thanks for all your support and I hope you like them as much as I do everyone!
Jbrown says
This pesto tortellini skewers recipe was easy to make and everyone seemed to love it at a neighborhood party. I'll be saving this recipe.
I couldn't find medium length skewers so I used party toothpicks, and I didn't like how they wanted to turn every which direction. So I took a paper plate upside down and poked holes in it, and then put the end of each skewer into the holes so the little party handle stuck up in the air and they stayed nice and orderly. I put red grapes around the outside and put the whole thing in a decorative large serving tray. It looked very nice and was delicious.
I would have liked to have posted the picture but this site only allows comments.
foodyschmoody says
Sounds great the way you presented! If you feel up to it, you can email me a pic to recipes@foodyschmoodyblog.com and I'll share it on social media!