Preparing your dinner on a grill is a fun way to spend time outdoors in summer – whether it’s in the backyard or in a public park. Besides the meat and sausages you throw on the grill you need other stuff as well, of course. Bread, smaller snacks, and definitely salad. Preparing a BBQ can be quite time-consuming – luckily getting a salad like this Mediterranean Tortellini Pasta Salad is an absolute breeze. It is ready in less than 30 minutes and can be done some time in advance.
Salad is always the number one dinner option for us here in summer. You usually don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen to prepare everything and the veggies are just perfect on a hot day – easy to digest and good for your body. Isn’t it? ;) If you have ever eaten a heavy pot roast with dumplings (or something similar) on a hot summer day you will probably agree with me here… the night after such a heavy meal is normally not very pleasant. The stomach has a lot to do and with the heat that never feels good ;P
So if you want to sleep well I recommend making salad. Well… this salad here might not be the ideal candidate for a light late-night dinner either. There are quite a few carbs in the salad and that might impact your sleep as well. So it might be better to serve this kind of salad for lunch instead. I know… I just praised salad to be the ideal dinner in summer, and then I’m telling you, you should not eat this one here for dinner ;P Anyway. Salad is perfect for summer! ;P
The amount of salad you get out of this recipe should be enough for a larger crowd. If you have fewer guests or family to feed you can reduce the amount of tortellini in the recipe. Half the amount should still be fine, so you can feed four (or more). On the other hand – if you add more veggies you might be able to feed a whole soccer team ;P
No matter if you make it as described or if you adjust something – the results will be equally tasty for sure. I love the combination of pasta and veggies. We like to use tortellini willed with cheese over tortellini filled with meat… but that is up to you. If you want to add some meat to the salad – go for it! The premade tortellini you can buy in supermarkets actually come with many different types of filling… so go for the one you like the most. If you don’t have tortellini at hand, you could also use regular pasta instead. Spirelli noodles, rigatoni, penne, the little macaroni noodles you would normally use for Mac ‘n’ Cheese…. all good.
Speaking of pasta salad – if you are into that type of salad you should definitely try my Italian Pasta Salad. Very nice. Equally good but made with potatoes is my Greek Potato Salad with Tomatoes & Feta. Both salads are great for parties or if you have to bring something to a friend’s BBQ ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(7-8 servings)
For the salad:
21 oz. (600g) refrigerated tortellini (e.g. with cheese)
10.5 oz. (300g) colorful cherry tomatoes, halved
2 baby cucumbers, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 small red onion, diced
3.5 oz. (100g) feta cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus some more
4 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt, pepper
(7-8 Personen)
Für den Salat:
600g gekühlte Tortellini (z. B. mit Käse)
300g bunte Kirschtomaten, halbiert
2 Mini-Gurken, in Scheiben geschnitten
1 rote Paprika, gewürfelt
1 grüne Paprika, gewürfelt
1 kleine rote Zwiebel, gewürfelt
100g Fetakäse, zerkrümelt
Für das Dressing:
4 EL Olivenöl (Extra Vergine), plus etwas mehr
4 EL weißer Balsamico Essig
2 TL Oregano
1 TL Knoblauchpulver
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start with preparing the veggies. Wash and dry the veggies. Cut the tomatoes in half, cut the baby cucumbers into thin slices, and the bell peppers into small cubes. Peel the onion and dice finely. Set everything aside.
2. Heat up a large pot with salt water and cook the tortellini according to the instructions on the package until »al dente« – mine only needed a minute. Make sure you don’t overcook the pasta, or it will fall apart when mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let cool down a bit. You want the tortellini slightly warm but not hot anymore when mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Slightly warm pasta will absorb the dressing much better than cold pasta.
3. For the dressing mix oil, vinegar, dried oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Add the (slightly warm) tortellini and veggies to a large serving bowl. Add the dressing and mix to combine. Finally, add the crumbled feta on top, drizzle with some more olive oil (if you like), and serve.
Tip 1: Instead of the mini cucumbers, you can also use half a »regular-sized« cucumber and cut it into cubes. Same for the tomatoes – use regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes and cut them into smaller pieces. A few chopped olives or pickled hot peppers can add additional flavor and some heat here.
Tip 2: The salad will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Before serving let it get to (almost) room temperature and then stir again well.
1. Mit dem Gemüse starten – dazu alles erst einmal waschen und trocknen. Die Tomaten halbieren, die Mini-Gurken in dünne Scheiben schneiden und die Paprika in kleine Würfel. Die Zwiebel schälen und fein würfeln. Alles zur Seite stellen.
2. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser zum Kochen bringen und die Tortellini nach Packungsanleitung bissfest aka. »al dente« garen. Meine Tortellini haben nur etwa eine Minute benötigt. Man sollte darauf achten, dass die Tortellini nicht zu lange kochen, damit sie beim Vermischen mit den restlichen Zutaten nicht zerfallen. Die Nudeln abgießen, mit kaltem Wasser abspülen und etwas abkühlen lassen. Die Tortellini sollten noch leicht warm sein, wenn man den Salat zubereitet, damit sie das Dressing besser aufnehmen können.
3. Für das Dressing Öl, Essig, Oregano und Knoblauchpulver in einer kleinen Schüssel vermischen. Gut mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen.
4. Die (leicht warmen) Tortellini und das Gemüse in eine große Schüssel geben. Das Dressing darüber geben und alles gut vermengen. Zum Schluss den zerbröckelten Feta darüber streuen, ggf. noch etwas Olivenöl darüber träufeln und servieren.
Tipp 1: Statt der Mini-Gurken kann man auch eine halbe »normale« Salatgurke in Würfel schneiden. Auch bei den Tomaten kann man statt der Cherry Tomaten normal große Tomaten verwenden und in kleinere Stücke schneiden, wenn man das möchte. Ein paar zerkleinerte Oliven oder eingelegte Peperoni können hier noch zusätzlich Geschmack & Schärfe ins Spiel bringen.
Tipp 2: Der Salat hält im Kühlschrank 1-2 Tage durch. Vor dem Servieren erst etwas bei Zimmertemperatur stehen lassen, damit der Salat auf Temperatur kommen kann und dann noch einmal gut durchrühren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Mediterranean Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:05
- Total Time: 00:25
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: International
Description
A great salad you can serve at a BBQ with family and friends: Mediterranean Tortellini Pasta Salad. A great salad to feed a large crowd ;)
Ingredients
For the salad:
21 oz. (600g) refrigerated tortellini (e.g. with cheese)
10.5 oz. (300g) colorful cherry tomatoes, halved
2 baby cucumbers, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 small red onion, diced
3.5 oz. (100g) feta cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus some more
4 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Start with preparing the veggies. Wash and dry the veggies. Cut the tomatoes in half, cut the baby cucumbers into thin slices, and the bell peppers into small cubes. Peel the onion and dice finely. Set everything aside.
2. Heat up a large pot with salt water and cook the tortellini according to the instructions on the package until »al dente« – mine only needed a minute. Make sure you don’t overcook the pasta, or it will fall apart when mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let cool down a bit. You want the tortellini slightly warm but not hot anymore when mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Slightly warm pasta will absorb the dressing much better than cold pasta.
3. For the dressing mix oil, vinegar, dried oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Add the (slightly warm) tortellini and veggies to a large serving bowl. Add the dressing and mix to combine. Finally, add the crumbled feta on top, drizzle with some more olive oil (if you like), and serve.
Notes
Tip 1: Instead of the mini cucumbers, you can also use half a »regular-sized« cucumber and cut it into cubes. Same for the tomatoes – use regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes and cut them into smaller pieces. A few chopped olives or pickled hot peppers can add additional flavor and some heat here.
Tip 2: The salad will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Before serving let it get to (almost) room temperature and then stir again well.
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
