This Greek Tortellini Salad is filled with veggies, feta cheese, tortellini pasta, and covered in our zesty homemade Greek vinaigrette. It’s a great summer side dish to serve at BBQs or for a light lunch.
While this recipe is completely vegetarian, feel free to add a little extra protein like shrimp, diced chicken, or salami. For more easy pasta salad recipes, you can also try our Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad, or classic Pasta Salad.
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Greek Tortellini Salad
During the hot summer months, I can’t get enough of cold pasta salads like this Greek pasta salad with tortellini. It’s packed with perfectly cooked tortellini, veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and artichoke hearts, along with feta cheese and fresh basil.
The entire thing is covered in homemade Greek vinaigrette that flavors the salad even more as it sits in the fridge. Because of this I always make this salad at least a couple hours in advance, or even overnight. The pasta soaks up a lot of the dressing so don’t be afraid to add plenty.
Key Ingredients
- Tortellini - fresh tortellini or frozen tortellini can be used, so just go with your favorite. I usually stick with cheese tortellini but a simple flavor like spinach would also taste good. Once you have cooked according to the package directions, be sure to run under cool water to stop the cooking.
- Tomatoes - using cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes makes things easy because they just need to be cut in half. During the late summer, you could substitute another kind of garden variety. Just cut into ½” pieces.
- Cucumber - English cucumbers are great as they have far less seeds and hold up very well. You don’t need to peel them unless that is how you prefer it.
- Artichoke Hearts - drain them and chop before adding to the salad. They add a really delicious briney flavor to the salad.
- Red Onion - red onion adds color and a sharp onion flavor that’s amazing in salad.
- Feta Cheese - you can purchase feta either in a block or already crumbled. Either will work great.
- Basil - fresh chopped basil adds color as well as lots of flavor. You could also add some fresh parsley or dill in addition to the basil.
For the Greek Vinaigrette
- Olive Oil - olive oil is added for its flavor as well as its ability to emulsify the dressing, so using a high quality extra virgin olive oil will give the best flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar - vinegar gives the dressing its zesty flavor. If you don’t have red wine vinegar you could substitute apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Sugar - all of the olive oil and acidity benefits from just a tiny amount of sugar. You could substitute a little agave or honey.
- Dijon Mustard - along with adding even more zest, the mustard helps to bind the ingredients and emulsify the vinaigrette.
- Garlic - fresh garlic gives this dressing the best flavor, hands down. The minced jarred garlic will work fine, too.
- Dried Herbs - dried herbs like oregano, parsley, and thyme are added along with the salt and pepper to season the dressing.
How to Make Greek Tortellini Salad
- Cook the tortellini pasta. Cook fresh or frozen tortellini to al dente according to package directions, then run under cold water. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add all other prepped salad ingredients to the bowl with the cooked pasta.
- Make the Greek vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing until emulsified.
- Toss. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until evenly coated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate. Chill the salad for at least 2 hours before serving, or overnight.
- Serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Make sure to cook the tortellini only until al dente and run under cold water to stop the cooking. If you overcook the pasta, it will become mushy and break apart when you toss the salad.
- Don’t be afraid to add plenty of the dressing to the salad because the pasta will soak it up.
- This salad can be prepped the night before and served the following day.
- Feel free to add even more mix-ins like cherry tomatoes and Kalamata olives.
- Add a little extra protein by topping with chicken, shrimp, salami, or diced summer sausage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! In fact I encourage you to refrigerate this salad for a minimum of two hours before serving it. This gives the dressing time to soak into the pasta and give it even more flavor. You can make it the day before you plan to serve it and just store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
I usually make cold tortellini salads like this during the warm summer months so I serve with other BBQ items like kabobs and grilled chicken. If you are planning a full menu, it would also taste good with sides like Grilled Street Corn, Fruit Salad, and Parmesan Potatoes.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tortellini Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 12-18 oz Tortellini Pasta fresh or frozen work great
- 1 medium English Cucumber diced into ½" pieces
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes cut in half
- ½ cup Artichoke Hearts diced
- ½ medium Red Onion diced
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil chopped
- ½ cup Feta Cheese crumbled
Greek Vinaigrette
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 1½ Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ¾ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the tortellini according to package directions, cooking until al dente. Run cold water over the cooked pasta to cool, then drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, red onion, and sliced fresh basil to the bowl with the cooked pasta.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, minced garlic, mustard, oregano, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and mix until everything is evenly coated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Quick and Easy Salad Recipes
- Pea Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Coleslaw
- Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Grilled Chicken BLT Salad
- Thai Chicken Chopped Salad
- More Salad Recipes
- More Summer Recipes
This quick and easy Greek pasta salad with tortellini is a delicious cold pasta salad that is packed full of veggies and feta cheese. It's perfect for serving all summer long and can even be made the night before.
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