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Our Tortellini Pasta Salad is the ultimate 30-minute dish loaded with fresh veggies, black beans, avocado, and a simple homemade dressing. I love to make it as a light main dish or a potluck side.
Tortellini Pasta Salad always disappears fast.
This Tortellini Pasta Salad is quick, easy, packed with fresh ingredients, and works as both a main dish with some grilled chicken or as a side dish.
My biggest tip for this recipe, is to use good quality tortellini – it is the star after-all! The dry packaged kind will work, but the refrigerated kind cooks in just a few minutes and taste so much better!
Try more of my pasta salads, like Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, Orzo Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, Cold Noodle Salad, and Street Corn Pasta Salad!
How to make Tortellini Pasta Salad:
Prep Ingredients: Cook tortellini according to package instructions then drain and rinse with cold water. Combine all dressing ingredients in a resealable jar and shake to combined.
Combine: In a large bowl, dump in cooked corn, black beans, bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Drizzle the desired amount of dressing on top (go slow, you may not want it all) and toss everything to coat it.
If you love this recipe, try my Creamy Tomato Tortellini, Creamy Tortellini Soup, Pesto Tortellini, and Vegetable Tortellini Soup!
Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 ounce package three cheese refrigerated tortellini
- 1 cup corn, , fresh cooked, canned or frozen
- 15 ounce can black beans, , drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 avocado, , peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, , halved
- 1/4 cup red onion, , chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, , chopped
Dressing:
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- juice from 2 limes
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, , minced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.20 ounce package three cheese refrigerated tortellini
- Add tortellini to a large bowl. Add cooked corn, black beans, bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.1 cup corn, 15 ounce can black beans, 1 red bell pepper, 1 avocado, 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup red onion, ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a resealable jar. Shake until combined. Pour desired amount of dressing (you may not want to use it all) over the pasta and toss to coat.3 Tablespoons olive oil, juice from 2 limes, 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Notes
- Add protein: grilled chicken, tofu, shrimp or steak.
- Substitute what you already have! Use your favorite kind of beans, and incorporate other veggies you like or already have on hand.
- Adjust Spice: add some hot sauce to the dressing, to turn up the heat.
- Dressing: if you don't want to make it from scratch (sigh!) you can add your favorite store-bought zesty southwest or Italian.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated April 2021 and May 2026.
I am going to serve this as the main dish for a ladies luncheon. Do you think for 9 ladies, double the recipe is enough, or should I triple it?
Hi Diane, If you’re serving this with a few others sides to go along with it than I think doubling the recipe should be fine (especially since ladies at luncheons don’t usually eat a ton). If it’s all you will be eating for the main course then you may want to triple it, expecting that you’ll end up with some leftover. Hope that helps! I’d love to hear how everyone likes it 🙂
just made this for lunch this week! so good – thanks!
Hi I am curious how many people does this serve as a side dish? The recipe looks yummy!
I’d think it would serve about 6-8 people as a side dish.
A delicious, fresh, and light summer meal. I’ve been so frustrated with finding recipes that don’t require heating up the house or manning a hot grill in this insane TX heat. This fit the bill. I followed the recipe exactly, and it was a huge hit!
Making this today to take to a party. The hostess is vegetarian, so I’m sure she’ll love it. Will let you know how it goes over. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Awesome! I would love to hear how everyone likes it!
A hugh success!! I did double the dressing and added an extra avocado, but otherwise, changed nothing else. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!!
I have two teenage boys and am wondering if this would be enough as a main dish for them or if I should have this as a side dish. Thoughts?
If there are just 3 of you eating (you and your 2 teenagers), I think it would work great as a main for your boys. If there are more people than that I would probably have something else to go with it. Maybe some grilled chicken and fruit. Hope that helps!
Just made this to take to a bridal shower tomorrow. Recipe notes sat to add dressing when ready to eat but I would really like to finish it up today…..will it be ok or will it get soggy? And will the avacados be ok since there’s a lot of lime juice in the dressing?
Thanks so much!
Hi Lisa, sounds perfect for a bridal shower! The reason I suggest adding the dressing right before serving is that the noodles will absorb most of it if it sits overnight. I would add some extra lemon or lime juice to the avocados before they sit overnight, just to make sure they don’t brown. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much….I made extra dressing so I will just a little more if it gets all soaked up overnight. Looks so yummy!
I made this last night for a pot luck good bye party and it was a hit all around! Thx for such a great recipe! It’s beautiful to look at and absolutely delicious to eat
Love to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing! <3
I’m eating this right now. Wonderful!!!
So happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
Just made this… and almost ate the whole bowl! SO tasty! Thank you!
Love to hear it! Thanks!
This sounds simple enough to make. A shout out to our sisters and brothers in arms at the realfood-project.com