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    Foody Schmoody Blog Recipes For Everyone » All Recipes

    Published: May 4, 2015 · Modified: Jan 21, 2021 by foodyschmoody ·

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

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    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad - The Italian Caprese Salad lends it's flavors to this quick and easy pasta salad made with tortellini pasta.   

    Yum

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

    What a beautiful weekend we had here in MA.  I hope wherever you are, you had the sunshine that we did.  It was a nice surprise to not be freezing at the soccer field Saturday morning.  It was even better to come home and get right back outside in our own yard.  I spent the day planting flowers with the kids.  They were pretty psyched to find out that I bought them their own flower pots and let them pick out their own flowers to plant.  It was fun to see their choices (Nora, of course chose the pink flowers). It's going to be their project and they will be responsible for watering them etc.,  so we'll see how long those last!

     

    Josh - very excited for his flowers.  Purple was the closest to a "boy color".

    Josh - very excited for his flowers. Purple was the closest to a "boy color".

     

    Anyway, with all this outdoor time, I really felt like I wanted a no fuss meal.  What better meal to eat outside than some grilled chicken and pasta salad?  Pasta salad can be so versatile and can be tailored to your taste preferences.  I'm not big on the pasta salads that have meat in them, nor do I enjoy any of the creamy mayo kind of pasta salad.  More often than not, when I make a pasta salad, it's as easy as adding a few veggies to pasta and dumping a bottle of Italian dressing on top.  But since I had some tortellini in the fridge, I decided to use that instead of my usual bow tie or tri color rotini.

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

    Don't let the idea of a Caprese Pasta Salad fool you into thinking it's difficult.  Because it isn't.  I had this entire salad prepared in about 15 minutes and that includes the time it took to boil the water and cook the pasta!

    I prefer a nice thick balsamic reduction in a dish like this.  It's as easy as pouring a cup of balsamic vinegar in a pan, bring it to a boil, then knock it down to a simmer until it reduces by half (about 10 min).  If you don't have the time for that or you aren't as picky about your balsamic, you could, technically use a balsamic vinaigrette from a bottle.  I'll try not to judge you.  I promise.  BUT, if you really want to impress, please do try the reduced balsamic.

     

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

    Okay, so now that we got that balsamic issue out of the way.  Here's the rest of the deal.  While you're water is coming to a boil for your tortellini, prep everything else (ahem, this is when you can reduce your balsamic). Slice your cherry tomatoes.  Slice your cute little mozzarella balls (ciliegine). Cut your basil into ribbons. 

    Once your tortellini is cooked, strain it and rinse it under cold water.  I let it sit in the strainer for a minute or two to get the additional water off.  Put the tortellini in a bowl, add in the tomatoes, mozzarella and half of the balsamic reduction and some black pepper and salt, then toss it well to get it all coated and mixed up.  I then take the remaining balsamic and drizzle it over the top to make it all pretty like.  Or just leave it out if anyone wants to add more.

     

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

    Ta-da, that's it.  While I was getting the pasta salad together, I simply grilled some chicken and it was a perfect match. 

    Keep this Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad in mind as you start getting invitations to BBQ's, potlucks and graduation parties over the next month or two.  It would be a great addition to any backyard celebration!

    Your support of clicking thru to visit our advertisers and/or purchasing items through our affiliate links, located throughout this blog post, generates the revenue that helps to keep this page going and is very much appreciated.

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

    Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

    Christine
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 20 oz Cheese Tortellini refrigerated (I used a mixture of green and regular colored)
    • 1 C balsamic vinegar
    • 1 C Ciliegine Mozzarella small mozzarella balls
    • 1 C cherry tomatoes more or less to your liking
    • 2 T freshly sliced basil
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to sit for a few minutes to remove excess water.
    • Meanwhile, place balsamic vinegar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer until reduced by half. Allow to cool a few minutes.
    • While pasta is cooking and vinegar is reducing, slice tomatoes and mozzarella in half.
    • Place cooled tortellini in a large bowl. Add in mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and half the balsamic reduction. Toss well to combine and coat.
    • Garnish with a few additional ribbons of basil if desired and/or an additional drizzle of balsamic.
    • If you have remaining balsamic reduction, serve it alongside the salad for those who like to go heavy on the balsamic (like me!).
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Agy says

      May 04, 2015 at 6:57 am

      I'm trying to figure out what the taste of the pasta is as I've never used of balsamic vinagrette because it is so expensive over here. Is it sour and sweet at the same time?

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 04, 2015 at 9:37 am

        Oh boy, I'm terrible at describing flavors. It's sweet w/ a little tang to it. It's awesome on both sweet and savory dishes. When it's reduced it almost gets a caramel type texture. I always forget that you have access to such different ingredients where you are Agy.

        Reply
    2. Cynthia says

      May 04, 2015 at 7:34 am

      This looks like the perfect summer dish. I love being outside when the weather is nice and grilling is something we do on a regular basis. I typically grill enough food for a couple meals, so this salad would be perfect!

      Reply
    3. Dee says

      May 04, 2015 at 10:30 am

      I love pasta salad, especially in warm weather. We barbecue chicken like crazy, so this looks like a great side! 🙂

      Reply
    4. KC the Kitchen Chopper says

      May 04, 2015 at 10:36 am

      Balsamic certainly makes my life tastier. This dish looks so yummy.

      Reply
    5. Christine @ One TIPsy Chick says

      May 04, 2015 at 12:10 pm

      This looks really good! My husband loves caprese salad so I think I'll make this the next time I grill steak!

      Reply
    6. Jessica @ConveyAwareness says

      May 04, 2015 at 6:19 pm

      My six year old is a fan of tortellini (and ravioli). He just had some in his lunch today for school. Love the dish and the change-up from regular tomato sauce.

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 04, 2015 at 6:43 pm

        Tortellini is one thing all my kids like too (surprisingly)

        Reply
    7. nancy@skinnykitchen.com says

      May 04, 2015 at 7:31 pm

      Love this one Christine!

      Reply
    8. Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says

      May 04, 2015 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      What a pretty salad Christine...love your photos!

      Reply
    9. Healing Tomato says

      May 04, 2015 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      This caprese pasta looks absolutely delicious. You know I will pick out all the tomatoes and eat them.

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 05, 2015 at 6:28 am

        ha, thanks Rini.

        Reply
    10. TwoPlusCute says

      May 04, 2015 at 10:30 pm

      5 stars
      What a glorious dish is that?!
      Bookmarked and saved and will print and wow. It is so good, it looks like desert to me.

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 05, 2015 at 6:27 am

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    11. Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets) says

      May 04, 2015 at 11:07 pm

      Wonderful salad...I know the perfect gluten free tortellini to use so I can give this a try 🙂

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 05, 2015 at 6:27 am

        Great! Thanks Sandi.

        Reply
    12. Annabel @ simplycalledfood says

      May 05, 2015 at 7:29 am

      Your recipe looks delicious and is a great idea for all these summer salads we make! Your pictures are also very nice!

      Reply
    13. peter @feedyoursoultoo says

      May 05, 2015 at 8:38 am

      What a nice spring summer salad.

      Reply
    14. Stephanie Volkert says

      May 06, 2015 at 1:32 am

      I posted a recipe this week that uses a balsamic reduction too. It really is one of the easiest additions to recipes. I can only imagine how great it tastes in this salad. I love tortellini.

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 06, 2015 at 6:36 am

        I agree! I think some people just hear "reduction" and think it's complicated, but as you know, it's literally just reducing, lol. Thanks for stopping over!

        Reply
    15. cathy says

      May 06, 2015 at 5:38 am

      Yummy, this looks delicious and full flavored good! 🙂 Saying hello from the Wednesday Round up!
      Cathy

      Reply
      • foodyschmoody says

        May 06, 2015 at 6:35 am

        Thanks so much Cathy! So glad to connect w/ you!

        Reply
    16. linda spiker says

      April 05, 2016 at 10:59 pm

      5 stars
      Fabulous! I love Caprese so I am all over this!

      Reply
    17. Jennifer says

      April 06, 2016 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      I love caprese anything. This toretllini dish looks yummy!

      Reply
    18. Manju | Cooking Curries says

      April 10, 2016 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      Love tortellini and everything else in this pasta!

      Reply
    19. Prairie Gal Cookin says

      April 12, 2016 at 12:20 am

      Ohh.. Yum!! Love the bright colors and pictures!

      Reply

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