Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Pesto Caesar Tortellini Pasta Salad
Cheese tortellini makes a pasta salad feel generous, especially with pesto and creamy Caesar dressing coating the little folds. Tomatoes bring a juicy bite, and sweet peas add something tender between the pasta. It's a welcoming bowl for anyone who likes their salad with plenty of cheese.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 7 min
- Total
- 12 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 6 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Lunch · Sides
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pasta salad · Salads · Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Cool the tortellini
Drain the cooked tortellini and rinse it with cool water before combining it with the salad ingredients.
2. Toss until evenly coated
Toss the pasta and both dressings thoroughly so the pesto and Caesar dressing reach throughout the salad.
3. Choose when to serve
Serve the tossed salad immediately, or follow the directions for chilling it for up to twenty-four hours.
Get to know the ingredients
Three-cheese tortellini
The filled tortellini is cooked according to its package before becoming the base of the pasta salad.
Thawed peas
Use the frozen sweet peas thawed so they are ready to mix directly into the cooled tortellini.
Grape tomatoes
Halve the grape tomatoes before adding them, leaving bite-sized pieces among the tortellini and sweet peas.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Pesto Caesar Tortellini Pasta Salad
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
A thorough final toss
Make sure the Parmesan and vegetables are distributed through the dressed tortellini before serving or chilling.
A little more help as you go
Two dressings together
Both pesto and creamy Caesar dressing belong in the same bowl; they are mixed together through the pasta.
Parmesan through the salad
Add the shredded Parmesan with the other ingredients during mixing so it is part of the dressed salad.
A few questions you might have
Do I need to make a separate sauce?
The directions add the pesto and creamy Caesar dressing straight to the bowl with the pasta and vegetables.
Are the peas cooked separately?
No separate cooking step is given; the ingredient list calls for frozen peas that have already thawed.
Can I chill the salad before serving?
Yes, the recipe explicitly allows chilling it for up to twenty-four hours after tossing the ingredients together.
What do I do after boiling the tortellini?
Drain it and rinse with cool water, then combine it with the tomatoes, peas, cheese and dressings.
Which Parmesan form is called for?
The ingredient list calls for shredded Parmesan, which goes into the mixing bowl with the other salad ingredients.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: easyfamilyrecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
