This beautiful Layered Tortellini Salad is perfect for long summer days when it’s just too hot to cook! With its colorful layers of delicious Mediterranean ingredients, it’s as pretty as it is delicious.
On days when it’s just too hot to cook and heavy foods are simply not appealing, it’s nice to have a few quick and easy main dish salad recipes up your sleeve. This Layered Tortellini Salad is a favorite of ours.
Similar to old-fashioned layered salads like the traditional seven-layer salad and layered pea salad, this recipe creates a dish so pretty you almost don’t want to dip into it. Almost.
It’s a layered pasta salad that is light, refreshing, and filling all at the same time. And it uses some of my favorite ingredients – those found in many Mediterranean recipes.
The only heat involved is boiling water to cook a package of tortellini. Surely we can do that even in a heat wave! After that part is done, it’s simply layering ingredients into a pretty bowl.
This salad easily doubles and can be used as either your entree or as a first course.
— This post was originally published on July 27, 2010. It has been updated with new photographs and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Cooking Method: Stovetop
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 6
Primary Ingredient(s): Cheese tortellini, tomatoes, feta, red onion, red peppers, cucumber, artichoke hearts, black olives, Parmesan
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It has a great assortment of complementary flavors and an ideal balance between filling pasta, tasty cheeses for protein, plenty of fresh veggies, and a light dressing. Excellent!”
— Barbara
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- No heating the kitchen! Perfect for hot summer days.
- It’s beautiful! The varied colors of the layered vegetables make this a lovely focal point on your table.
- Super easy – it’s really just a matter of assembling ingredients in a bowl.
Ingredient Notes
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- Cheese Tortellini – You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini for this recipe. My favorite is the refrigerated tortellini from Buitoni.
- Greek or Italian Dressing – Choose any dressing you like that has an oil and vinegar component. I’ve used Cardini’s Greek Dressing, Kraft Zesty Italian, and even my homemade Lemon Vinaigrette dressing. They’re all great!
- Cherry Tomatoes or Grape Tomatoes – Make sure they’re nice and ripe!
- Feta Cheese – Purchase the crumbled feta or buy a block and crumble it yourself.
- Red Onion – Make sure the onion is very thinly sliced.
- Roasted Red Peppers – Purchase a good Italian brand like Cento or Mazzetta.
- Fresh Basil – Look for this in your grocer’s produce section.
- Cucumber – I prefer English cucumbers.
- Canned Artichoke Hearts – Look for quartered artichoke hearts in water.
- Whole Black Olives – Lindsay is my go-to brand for any kind of olives.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – The powdery Kraft Parmesan cheese actually works best in this recipe.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 103 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
How to Make Layered Tortellini Salad
Cook the Tortellini
- Prepare the tortellini according to the package directions. Rinse the tortellini under cold water and set it aside to drain well.
- Place the tortellini in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of Greek or Italian dressing. Toss gently to coat well.
Pro Tip
This salad looks great in a trifle bowl. They’re designed to show off layers perfectly.
Layer the Ingredients
- Place the halved tomatoes in the bottom of a large glass serving bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the dressing.
- Next, add the tortellini to the bowl.
- Layer the remaining ingredients – feta cheese, red onion, roasted red bell pepper, basil, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, and black olives.
Pro Tip
If the red onion seems a little too strong, rinse it under cold water after slicing. The water will remove a lot of the pungency.
Refrigerate Before Serving
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 1 hour).
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Finish with Parmesan
- When ready to serve, add salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese to top.
Recipe Options
- Use any type of tortellini that you personally like. I’ve often made this salad with spinach tortellini, which adds another gorgeous green layer to the mix.
- Add a layer of diced, rotisserie chicken for an even heartier meal.
- Not a fan of feta cheese? Swap it out for Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack if you’d like.
How to Serve
If you’re serving tortellini salad as the main course, you really don’t need anything other than some good bread and a glass of chilled wine or cold sweet tea! Or serve it as the salad course with a lovely roast chicken and green beans.
How to Make Ahead and Store
The salad may be made up to one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Add the Parmesan to the top when ready to serve.
Store any leftover tortellini salad in a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid for about two days in the refrigerator. This recipe is not meant to be frozen.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
Layered Tortellini Salad
Ingredients
- 9 ounces cheese tortellini fresh, frozen, or dried
- 3 tablespoons Greek or Italian dressing divided
- 1 cup whole cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 ½ roasted red peppers sliced in thin strips
- ¼ cup shredded fresh basil
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 7 ounces canned artichoke hearts quartered
- ¾ cup whole black olives
- salt
- black pepper
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the tortellini according to the package directions. Rinse the tortellini under cold water and set it aside to drain well.9 ounces cheese tortellini
- Place the tortellini in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of Greek or Italian dressing. Toss gently to coat well.3 tablespoons Greek or Italian dressing
- Place the halved tomatoes in the bottom of a large glass serving bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the dressing.1 cup whole cherry or grape tomatoes
- Next, add the tortellini to the bowl.
- Layer the remaining ingredients.4 ounces feta cheese, 1 small red onion, 1 ½ roasted red peppers, ¼ cup shredded fresh basil, 1 cup sliced cucumber, 7 ounces canned artichoke hearts, ¾ cup whole black olives
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 1 hour).
- When ready to serve, add salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese to top.salt, black pepper, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Oh and I forgot to mention that tortellini are only ITALIAN as well!!!!! Just use Greek ingredients for a Greek salad ie Moussaka salad with Greek potatoes??? For example! Or give credit where it is due! And explain to your fans that Pizza is an Italian invention!!!!! From Naples, which is in Italy! 🇮🇹 and as I said before I am not Italian!