15-Minute Vegetarian Greek Tortellini Salad
This vegetarian Greek tortellini pasta salad is filled with lots of nutritious crunchy vegetables, cheese tortellini, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, all tossed a creamy homemade Greek yogurt dressing. Served cold, this tortellini salad is a delicious and filling weeknight meal (or cookout recipe for summer parties) that takes just 15 minutes to make!
This Greek tortellini salad is a vegetarian pasta salad you’re just going to love! Ready in 15 minutes, it’s a quick & easy weeknight meal or recipe to bring to a cookout. As a Registered Dietitian, I love how many veggies are packed into this recipe, including cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper.
This pasta salad features my favorite creamy homemade Greek yogurt salad dressing. It’s loaded with yummy Greek-inspired flavors- think fresh dill, garlic, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
Greek tortellini salad is meant to be served cold. You’ll cook tortellini on the stovetop, then run it under cold water to cool it off. Toss it with chopped veggies and Greek yogurt dressing and you are good to go!
This recipe makes 6-8 servings. It is vegetarian, nut free, and soy free.
More favorite vegetarian cold pasta salad recipes to try: tri color pasta salad with spinach basil sauce, taco pasta salad, roasted vegetable pasta salad and caprese orzo salad!
Step-by-step video
Ingredients in Greek tortellini salad
Here is everything you need to make this recipe:
- Cheese tortellini – you can use fresh, frozen, or dried
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Bell pepper
- Red onion
- Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- Feta cheese
- Greek yogurt salad dressing: plain Greek yogurt (low fat or full fat), fresh dill, garlic, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper
Kitchen tools needed
You need a large pot to cook the tortellini, a chef’s knife for slicing vegetables, a small whisk or fork for preparing the dressing, a large mixing bowl, and salad spoons or mixing spoons.
How to make Greek tortellini salad
- Bring about 4 quarts of water, generously salted, to a rolling boil in a large pot.
- Cook tortellini according to package instructions.
- Strain the tortellini and run under cold water to cool it off.
- Chop up the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and bell pepper.
- Prepare the Greek yogurt salad dressing by whisking together all the ingredients, then adding a bit of cold water to thin it out.
- Add tortellini to a large mixing bowl, along with the chopped vegetables, kalamata olives, and feta cheese.
- Drizzle half the dressing (or more) over the salad. Use salad spoons to toss everything together until well combined.
- Serve room temperature or cold.
Storing Greek tortellini salad
You can keep leftover tortellini salad in the fridge for up to three days. Store it in an airtight container.
If you are preparing this dish for a cookout or party, I recommend assembling it right before you intend to serve it. Just cook the tortellini, chop all the vegetables, and prepare the dressing. Store each in a separate container and combine when ready to serve.
Serving suggestions
To make this an even more filling meal and boost the protein content, you can serve with with salmon, cod, shrimp, tofu, or tempeh. Feel free to toss in some leafy greens, like spinach, for more micronutrients!
Tomatoes nutrition & health benefits
Tomatoes are highly nutritious. One cup of tomatoes provides several nutrients, including:
- 2.2 grams of dietary fiber (8% of your daily needs)
- 75.6 mg Vitamin A (8% of your daily needs)
- 24.7 mg Vitamin C (27% of your daily needs)
- 14.2 mcg Vitamin K (12% of your daily needs)
- 0.11 mg copper (11% of your daily needs)
Tomatoes contain lycopene (a form of Vitamin A) – a powerful antioxidant. Lycopene has been linked to reduced risk of prostate cancer and supports heart health. Two other antioxidant forms of Vitamin A found in tomatoes, zeaxanthin and lutein, are beneficial for eye health.
Bell pepper nutrition & health benefits
Bell peppers are a healthy addition to this tortellini salad. One cup of red bell pepper contains:
- 3.2 grams of dietary fiber (11% of your daily needs)
- 1.5 grams of plant-based protein
- 235.5 mcg Vitamin A (26% of your daily needs)
- 69 mcg folate (17% of your daily needs)
- 0.128 mg riboflavin (10% of your daily needs)
- 0.436 mg Vitamin B6 (26% of your daily needs)
- 191.6 mg Vitamin C (213% of your daily needs)
Red bell peppers are abundant in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that gives red bell peppers their vibrant red color. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that protects our cells from free radical damage.
Kalamata olives nutrition & health benefits
Kalamata olives are a type of Greek olive with a deep purple hue. Kalamata olives, like other olive varieties, are an excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.
Olives are also a source of micronutrients, including iron, copper, and fat-soluble Vitamin E.
Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!
Easy 15-Minute Vegetarian Greek Tortellini Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Greek
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This vegetarian Greek tortellini pasta salad is filled with lots of nutritious crunchy vegetables, cheese tortellini, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, all tossed a creamy homemade Greek yogurt dressing. Served cold, this tortellini salad is a delicious and filling weeknight meal (or cookout recipe for summer parties) that takes just 15 minutes to make!
Ingredients
- 1 lb cheese tortellini (fresh, frozen, or dry)
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 cups cucumber, sliced into half moons
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 batch Greek yogurt salad dressing
Instructions
- Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, seasoned with salt.
- Cook tortellini in the boiling water according to package instructions. Drain tortellini and run under cold water to cool it off.
- Prepare the Greek yogurt salad dressing – whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Then mix in cold water to thin it out.
- Combine the cooked tortellini, chopped vegetables, olives, and feta cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Drizzle about half of the Greek yogurt dressing over the ingredients.
- Mix thoroughly with salad spoons to combine everything. You can add more dressing as desired.
Notes
Storing Greek tortellini salad
You can keep leftover tortellini salad in the fridge for up to three days. Store it in an airtight container.
If you are preparing this dish for a cookout or party, I recommend assembling it right before you intend to serve it. Just cook the tortellini, chop all the vegetables, and prepare the dressing. Store each in a separate container and combine when ready to serve.
Serving suggestions
To make this an even more filling meal and boost the protein content, you can serve with with salmon, cod, shrimp, tofu, or tempeh. Feel free to toss in some leafy greens, like spinach, for more micronutrients!
Keywords: greek tortellini salad, greek tortellini pasta salad, vegetarian tortellini salad, cold tortellini salad
Super fresh and delicious upgrade to traditional tortellini dishes. The Greek flavors are so yummy accompanied by the yogurt dressing, which adds a boost of extra protein leaving everyone full and happy. It’s also great to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge for meals throughout the week!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Amanda! I’m so glad you guys liked this one 🙂