Serve this Lemon Garlic Tortellini Pasta Salad featuring artichokes and roasted red peppers at every BBQ this season.
This cold pasta salad pairs well with burgers, grilled chicken wings, steaks or really anything you're grilling this summer!
BBQ season is upon us and there is no better side dish at a BBQ than this easy pasta salad recipe!
I recently worked on an article for Parade Magazine featuring 30 Tortellini based pasta salads. Though, they all looked delicious, none of them were exactly what I was looking for, so I just went ahead and created my own!
Fair warning, make sure you've got a breath mint for afterwards because there is lots of garlic and red onion flavor in this recipe!
Ingredients
- Tortellini
- Artichoke Hearts
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Red Onion
- Lemon-Garlic Dressing
See recipe card for quantities and lemon-garlic dressing ingredients.
Instructions
You might think the first step would be to cook the pasta but my first step is to chop the red onion.
The reason for this is that I like to soak red onion in water for about a half hour before using. This helps mellow out the flavor a bit.
Next, I cook my cheese tortellini. Once it is done, I drain and rinse it quickly.
While the tortellini is cooking, I combine all ingredients for the dressing and set it aside.
If the artichoke hearts are really big, now is when I give them a rough chop. Same for the roasted red pepper.
Combine the cooled tortellini, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and red onion in a large bowl.
Stir in half of the dressing, toss and then add the remaining dressing. Toss well to be sure everything is coated well.
If you want to finish off with some parmesan cheese add that now and serve.
Hint: Taste pasta salad just after tossing with dressing for salt and pepper. Add more if needed until you get the desired taste.
Variations
- Dressing- if you just aren't into making homemade dressing, despite me promising you how easy it is, go ahead and use a bottled lemon-garlic vinaigrette.
- Tortellini - instead of a standard cheese tortellini, try a spinach tortellini or even a lemon-ricotta tortellini
- Meat - try adding in some chopped prosciutto
- Mix-Ins - sundried tomatoes would be fabulous
Or if you are in the mood for a different kind of pasta salad, check out my Lemon Basil Orzo Pasta Salad
Storage
Prepared Tortellini Pasta Salad can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pasta salad is best if consumed within 2 days.
Top tip
Using quartered artichoke hearts and julienned or chopped roasted red peppers makes prep so much easier and saves time chopping.
Grilled chicken, grilled sausage, chicken wings or steak are great options.
Fresh is best and it only takes a few minutes to cook.
Yes! The fresh tortellini will only require about 3 minutes to cook and when it's done, it will float to the top.
If you are interested in other recipes featuring tortellini besides this delicious lemon garlic tortellini pasta salad check these out:
Printable Recipe Card
Lemon Garlic Tortellini Pasta Salad With Artichokes
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup diced red onion
- 20 Ounce cheese tortellini
- ¾ Cup chopped roasted red peppers from a jar drained
- 12 Ounce marinated artichoke hearts from a jar quartered
- salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Lemon Garlic Dressing
- ⅓ Cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoon wateer
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley fresh
- 1 ½ Teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
- ½ Teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ¼ Teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Place diced red onion in a bowl of ice water and set aside. This step is optional but recommended. Soaking the onion will mellow out the harsh flavor of the onion.
- Whisk together all ingredients for dressing and set aside. Alternatively, you can place items in a jar with a cover and shake well.
- Cook tortellini according to package instructions.
- While tortellini is cooking, drain artichokes and roasted red peppers. If these ingredients are large, roughly chop to desired size.
- Drain tortellini in a colander and rinse with cold water. Place cooled tortellini in a large bowl.
- Using a slotter spoon, remove red onions from water and place in bowl with tortellini. Add artichokes and peppers now too. Drizzle in half of the prepared dressing. Toss and then add the remaining dressing. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.
- Store in refrigerator until serving.
- If desired, add grated parmesan cheese just before serving.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
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