Italian Balsamic Pasta Salad

It’s the combination of creamy mayonnaise with balsamic vinaigrette that makes this Italian-style pasta salad so delicious! Prepared with cheese-filled tortellini, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, celery, and parmesan, this salad is the perfect summer side!

I’m all about pasta salads. I can eat pasta salad every day. There are just a few caveats. First and foremost, they have to be delicious. Texture is an absolute must! They have to be easy to make, inexpensive, and they must be still just as tasty the next day! And, finally, they have to pair well with a main like chicken, beef, or my favourite, pork! All of those reasons and more are exactly why I cannot get enough of this Italian Balsamic Pasta Salad!

The best thing about pasta salads is that they can be made ahead of time. You can easily adapt them to your liking too because they’re very forgiving. And, it seems that everyone loves them! That’s probably why they are such a popular side dish at many restaurants, and certainly at every summer picnic or backyard BBQ! This pasta salad has all of the flavour of a regular ranch pasta salad, but prepared with tortellini which makes the salad even more delicious and certainly more substantial. That’s why you can eat this particular pasta salad as a side or a complete meal!

TORTELLINI DO; TORTELLINI DON’T

If you decide to use fresh, homemade tortellini, I’ll assume that your cooking skills/knowledge are to the point where you don’t need any help. But, if you’re using store-bought, frozen tortellini, let me walk you through it.

When using frozen tortellini, you must keep it frozen. And, you must use it in its frozen state. Do not thaw it first! I know that’s a contradiction of what normally happens when cooking, but in this case, it’s gospel. If you thaw it first, I guarantee it will become rather mushy or fall apart completely.

I used three cheese tortellini, because I wanted this pasta salad to be vegetarian friendly. I knew John.e would want a big serving of this too, so I had to keep it vegetarian. I used frozen tortellini and when I picked it up, I noticed that there were also beef and pork-filled tortellini. I’m not exactly sure how those flavours would translate to a pasta salad with balsamic flavouring, so I’m going to strongly suggest you stick to the cheese-filled tortellini.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Tortellini – Personally I think the frozen stuff works best here. And, where I live, the frozen type is more budget-friendly.
• Mayonnaise – You can use any mayonnaise, even the fat-free stuff!
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley – For freshness and garnish.
• Seasonings and Spices – You will need ground black pepper, salt, and Italian Seasoning.
• Cucumber – I like to use English cucumbers because they are less watery.
• Red Onion
• Celery
• Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

HOW TO MAKE AN ITALIAN BALSAMIC PASTA SALAD

Placed the cooked, cooled tortellini pasta into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a smaller bowl, add the mayonnaise, balsamic vinaigrette, ground black pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning. Whisk to combine.

Transfer the sauce mixture to the bowl of tortellini and add in all of the prepared veggies and parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Transfer the salad to a glass bowl with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

PASTA SHAPES

If you prefer to not use tortellini for this salad, any pasta will do well in this recipe. But, for maximum flavour, you want to use pasta that will hold onto that delicious sauce. Pasta like spaghetti, linguine, pappardelle, etc., are all great pasta options. But, they have one thing in common. The surface of those kinds of pasta is flat. A flat pasta means that the sauce can run off more easily. You want to use pasta that the sauce will stick to.

Look closely at pasta like rigatoni, fusilli, or penne. They all have a ridged surface. Not only does the pasta sauce get into those ridges, but they also hang onto things like the grated parmesan, and just about anything else in your sauce.

STORING AND REFRIGERATION

It’s important to let this Italian Balsamic Pasta Salad chill in the fridge for at least four hours. This will allow the ingredients time to hang out and get to know each other! The pasta will absorb some of the sauce and its flavour. The seasonings in the sauce will heighten the flavour of the other ingredients. There are a lot of things happening in that bowl, aren’t there!?

After four hours, the salad is ready to serve. Toss it again before plating just to freshen everything up. The salad does tend to settle a little bit. You can safely store this salad in your fridge for up to three days. Be sure to keep the salad covered at all times.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!