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    Home > Side Dishes > The Best Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe Ever

    The Best Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe Ever

    Published: May 28, 2010 · Modified: Feb 16, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Best Pasta Salad Ever

    The Best Pasta Salad Ever? No, really … it’s that good. Take a look at this wonderful pot luck, crowd pleasing Summer pasta salad.  Salty bacon and sweet onions…always a winner, chewy cheese tortellini with a fresh crunch of broccoli, colored with red tomatoes, with a creamy sweet unique dressing. I’ll let you decide if it’s best.

    best pasta salad tortellini bacon broccoli tomatoes

    Grilled burgers, pasta salads, hanging out on the back deck…get your flip-flops on, grab a cold glass of iced tea and Let The Summer Games Begin.

    I honestly don’t have a really good pasta salad recipe. I used to. I don’t know what happened to it. I can’t remember what I thought was so darn good about it…I mean really, is there any magic to throwing together a good macaroni salad? 

    Do you really need a recipe? Well it seems I do, as nothing I “throw together” is impressing me.

    Best Pasta Salad. Tortellini, tomatoes, broccoli onions.

    So I decided to Google “best pasta salad recipe EVER”. After looking through a few of the results, this one caught my eye, so gave it a try. 

    I think it showed up in the results because the first few reviewers exclaimed it to be simply the best – EVER.

    The dressing for this salad

    Surprisingly, the dressing for this tortellini salad is simply bottled Coleslaw Dressing.

    Could it get any easier than that. The only bottled coleslaw dressing I can find is Hidden Valley. It’s flavor works great for this recipe. I’ve seen that Light House Dressings that you find in the refrigerator section makes a Coleslaw Dressing, but I can’t find it in my area.

    And if you really want this finished salad to WOW, use your favorite homemade coleslaw dressing. 

    If you don’t have a family favorite, take a look at my dressing from my Creamy Classic Cole Slaw post.

    This is quite a tasty salad, and, as always, much better after sitting in the fridge overnight, gotta give those ingredients a chance to get to know each other better.

    I have taken this cheese tortellini salad to countless pot lucks, BBQ’s and parties. It never fails, someone always asks for the recipe.

    Let’s take a look.

    Tortellini salad. Best Pasta Salad ever.
    To

    Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe

    I hope you give this Cheese Tortellini Salad Recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.

    Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite pasta salad recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

    Looking for more crowd pleasing pasta side dish recipes? You won’t want to miss:

    • Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
    • Rocky Mountain Steak Salad with Penne
    • Pasta Chicken Salad Recipe
    • Creamy BBQ Ranch Black Bean Pasta Salad
    • Pioneer Woman’s Best Macaroni Salad
    • Lancaster County Macaroni Salad

    And if you’re looking for even more side dishes for picnic style gatherings, don’t miss this line-up of Summer cook-out sides. I’m positive you’ll find something you love.

    Best Pasta Salad. Tortellini, tomatoes, broccoli onions.

    The Best Pasta Salad Recipe Ever

    This may be the best pasta salad ever.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 3653kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 19 ounce package Frozen cheese tortellini
    • 1 pound bacon fried and chopped
    • 4 cups chopped broccoli cut small
    • 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
    • 3 green onions finely chopped
    • 1 cup bottled coleslaw dressing I could only find one brand – Hidden Valley
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
    • Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces while still a little warm.
    • Place the tortellini, bacon, broccoli, grape tomatoes, and green onions into a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the ingredients, and toss gently to coat. The tortellini are fragile. Chill in refrigerator before serving.

    Notes

    Safeway has a frozen three cheese tortellini that works great for this. I have also used single cheese tortellini from King Soopers. It’s all good.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 3653kcal | Carbohydrates: 478g | Protein: 170g | Fat: 118g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 445mg | Sodium: 5160mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 42g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 689IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 1552mg | Iron: 28mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Zia Liz says

      May 30, 2010 at 7:41 pm

      This looks wonderful! I like it that it can be made with a few things already on hand. Great post!

      Reply
    2. tasteofbeirut says

      May 30, 2010 at 10:28 pm

      I never make pasta salads I don’t know why! I could easily make this one and my daughter would inhale it! Thanks for sharing an easy and flavorful recipe!

      Reply
    3. Roti n Rice says

      May 30, 2010 at 3:16 pm

      Tortellini in salad is new to me but it sure looks good!

      In MN, the hills are called mountains and the lakes are ponds….go figure!

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 30, 2010 at 5:06 pm

        It was new to me also Berin, but when I read the recipe I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it! Thanks for stopping by

        Reply
    4. girlichef says

      May 30, 2010 at 2:49 pm

      Oh, I love the sammie wrapped like that…too cute! I don’t have a favorite pasta salad recipe…but I love tortellini in my pasta salad, that’s a definite plus! Sounds yummy. =)

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 30, 2010 at 5:07 pm

        Thanks for stopping by GC

        Reply
    5. Chris says

      May 30, 2010 at 2:42 pm

      I have my mother’s Spaghetti salad which is my favorite that I need to do a post on soon. It’s the ONLY dish that I will eat with regular store bought tuna in it.

      Great area to take a picnic!

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 30, 2010 at 5:08 pm

        You know now that you say “spaghetti”, I do believe my lost recipe was a cold spaghetti salad. Don’t think it involved Tuna. I’ll be anxious to see your recipe.

        Reply
    6. Joanne says

      May 29, 2010 at 12:35 pm

      I really think tortellini makes for the best pasta salad. Those little cheesy rings are just awesome. I really love pesto pasta salad with tortellini, cherry tomatoes, and black olives. Good stuff.

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 29, 2010 at 5:44 pm

        I think your combination really sounds good. Saving that idea!

        Reply
    7. buffalo dick says

      May 29, 2010 at 3:16 pm

      Not bad for a girlie girl pasta salad…HeeHeeHee..

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 29, 2010 at 5:42 pm

        awrightie Mr. BD……I’ll have you know that I don’t throw a softball ball like a girl!

        Reply
        • buffalo dick says

          May 29, 2010 at 7:20 pm

          I played center field on a winning team into my mid- thirties! Remember the song “Anything you can do, I can do better”..God, I can be an annoying man! 🙂

    8. Larry says

      May 29, 2010 at 11:03 am

      Your salad looks good from here and like most things, it’s a matter of what you like. I think the one I posted about on May 16 was about as good as I’ve ever had, except I’d use Newmans Caesar dressing as I usually do. I’ve used the same dressing on a salad that is lots of veggies with the pasta and it works well there also, I mix in the veggies while the pasta is hot to take a little of the raw edge off the veggies. Looks like a good picnic spot.

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 29, 2010 at 5:46 pm

        oh that’s right, I’ll have to go back and take another look at your pasta salad. I agree with your method of mixing in vegies while pasta is hot, it also helps blend the flavors better. I also do that with potato salad. Heading over to Big Dude right now.

        Reply
    9. Pam says

      May 29, 2010 at 1:05 am

      I wish I had friends who took pictures of cutely wrapped sandwiches and sent them to me!

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 29, 2010 at 6:00 pm

        Well, I don’t know what that says about me.

        Reply
    10. Vickie says

      May 29, 2010 at 3:05 am

      And I will be copy catting those wraps in a couple of weeks when I take the kids on a picnic! Cute idea.
      Alos love the idea of using tortellini in a pasta salad. The ingredients sound like a great combo.

      -haha, “lousy with birds” 🙂

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 29, 2010 at 5:49 pm

        I knew you’d like the “lousy with” reference! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Vino Luci Style says

      May 29, 2010 at 3:00 am

      While this looks very good and I trust your taste…I have to say I do this I have a recipe for the best pasta salad ever.

      Take the trifecta of basil, tomato and mozzarella, add avocado and pine nuts and then drizzle with balsamic dressing…I mean I know your mouth is watering, isn’t it?

      The picture (crappy that it is) is meaningful as it was the very last one taken with my old point and shoot. Forced me to buy a DSLR and things haven’t been the same since! Seems I need to make it myself, soon, if only to get a better picture (oh, yeah, and eat half of it before company comes too!).

      http://vinolucistyle.com/2009/09/avocado-tomato-and-mozzarella-pasta-salad-with-pine-nuts/

      Have a safe and fun Memorial Day Lea Ann!

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        May 29, 2010 at 5:50 pm

        Barb, I did head over to your blog to see that pasta salad and it looks and sounds WONderful. I’ll give it a try soon. Love the addition of avocado. Thanks for sending me the link.

        Reply

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    I'm Lea Ann, A Culinary School Grad obsessed with South of The Border cuisine. Mexican, Southwestern and Wild West Recipes. If you're an adventurous home cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of inspiration for reliable, approachable recipes.

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