Best 7 Pesto Tortellini Salad Recipes

TORTELLINI PESTO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place tortellini in the pot, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and cool.
• In a large bowl, mix the cooked tortellini, red bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, olives, and garlic.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, pesto, milk, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and vinegar. Pour over the tortellini and vegetables, and gently toss to coat. Cover, and place in the refrigerator 1 hour, until chilled. Serve over spinach leaves.

PESTO TORTELLINI SALAD

Steps:

• Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

LAYERED TORTELLINI PESTO CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook tortellini as directed on package, adding peas during last 4 minutes of cook time. Drain; rinse immediately with cold water. Pat with paper towels to remove moisture.
• In 3- or 4-quart clear bowl, layer the lettuce, the carrots, chicken, peas, the tortellini, and bell pepper.
• In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, pesto and buttermilk. Spread over peppers; sprinkle with parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled or overnight. Stir just before serving.

PESTO TORTELLINI CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook tortellini according to package directions, adding peas during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water., In a large glass bowl, layer romaine, carrots, chicken, tortellini and peas, and red pepper. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, pesto and buttermilk. Spread over top. Sprinkle with parsley. Refrigerate until chilled.

TORTELLINI, CHICKEN AND PESTO SALAD

Steps:

• Preparation: 1) You may want to skip this step. I have found that I like to dry my cherry tomatoes a bit by placing them in a low heat oven-250 or so-for around an hour or more until the moisture is reduced. If the tomatoes are good this will concentrate their flavor and reduce the moisture. After the tomatoes are done you can toast the walnuts at 350. They should be done in ten minutes or so. Watch them closely. They should have a nice light crunch. 2) The next step is to blanch the green beans. I multi-task and use the same pot that I will boil the pasta. You will want them to still retain some crunch. I usually find this is about 4 minutes. Run them under cold water and set them aside so that they can dry off. I often toss them in a freezer while I am cooking the pasta. 3) Cook the pasta according to the package directions, but pull back a bit at the end. The pasta has to cool down and it will soften more as the salad mellows. 4) While the pasta is cooking prepare the chicken into small bite size chunks. 5) Mix the vegetables, chicken and pasta together. Mix the pesto and the mayonaise and lightly stir in the pasta mixture. Add the nuts. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more pesto and mayonnaise as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Best served within 24 hours.

CHEESE TORTELLINI PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Cook pastas, set aside to cool a bit.
• 2. In large bowl or punch bowl, add rest of ingredients folding gently til well mixed.
• 3. Gently fold in pastas well.
• 4. Adjust seasonings to taste, meaning, add more salt, parmesan, etc., til it's to your own liking.
• 5. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.
• 6. *If serving this much later or the next day, you'll need to "refresh" this. Just add a bit more olive oil, salt and parmesan cheese before serving as the noodles suck up the oil and seasonings a bit.
• 7. *This salad is best room temp or even slightly warm.

TORTELLINI PESTO SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Cook the pasta according to the package; set aside.
• 2. Meanwhile, dice bell peppers and onion into small pieces. Quarter the tomatoes.
• 3. Mix pasta, pesto (start with 1/4 cup), and vegetables in a large bowl. Add more pesto, if desired. Add crushed red peppers and black pepper.
• 4. Cool in fridge for at least one hour before serving.