Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad

My Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad is the popular sub sandwich reimagined with all of the carby goodness of a pasta salad. It’s loaded with the amazing deli-counter flavors we crave, including salami, pepperoni, ham, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, punchy pepperoncini, and then tossed with plump cheese-stuffed tortellini and a lightly creamy vinaigrette that brings everything together perfectly.

It’s a Pasta Salad That Was Just Meant to Be

My quirky little hobby of making soup out of things that weren’t soup to begin with seems to have spread to pasta salads this summer. It started with my Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad and spread out from there. Not all of them have made the blog, but this tortellini salad deserved to be shared.

I love pasta salads that are fit to be an entire meal. Serve with some crispy Garlic Bread and you have an easy dinner with a little something for everyone: savory meats, fun little cheese balls, carby pasta. It’s happiness in a bowl.

Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad is —

• Your favorite Italian grinder sandwich in pasta form.
• Hearty enough to be a meal, but also makes a killer side for cookouts and potlucks.
• Packed with bold Italian deli flavors in every bite.
• A guaranteed crowd-pleaser for sandwich lovers and pasta salad fans alike.

If you love hearty, meal-level pasta salads as much as I do, you might also want to check out my BLT Pasta Salad and my Summer Shrimp & Pancetta Pasta Salad.

Key Ingredients

Tortellini — I’m a huge fan of quick-cooking, refrigerated tortellini, stuffed with cheese. If you prefer, however, you can substitute the more economical dried tortellini. I would use about 10 ounces of the dried tortellini, which will expand after cooking to about the same volume as the refrigerated tortellini.

Deli meats — Plan on about 2 ounces each of salami, pepperoni, and diced ham. I personally measure with my heart, taking stacks of salami or pepperoni and making four cuts from the stacks (either in strips or pie pieces). If you’ve bought the meats in log form, chop them into small 1/4″ pieces.

Peppers — To me, it’s just not a grinder without lots of peppers. First, pepperoncini! Even if you’re not a fan of spicy peppers, I would suggest giving pepperoncini a try if you’ve never had them. (If it’s a no-thanks for you, substitute mild banana peppers. It’s all good!) Second, roasted red peppers (from a jar). Note that tomatoes are usually a main ingredient of a grinder, but for this pasta salad, I skip them in favor of extra roasted red peppers.

Red onions — There’s just nothing quite like the zing of a sharp red onion. Don’t skip! If you want to tame the bite, soak the chopped onions in water (or water with a little red wine vinegar) for about 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Cheeses — I use two cheeses here: Mozzarella pearls get mixed in, and then shredded parm gets heaped on top. If you can’t find the pearls, you can use any fresh mozzarella type and slice it into small pieces that will fit on a fork.

Dressing — One of the things I love about this tortellini salad is that it comes to together really quickly … including the homemade dressing! I take a legit shortcut here by starting with my favorite oil-based vinaigrette, Garlic Expressions, and going from there. A little mayo, a little mustard — which is an excellent emulsifier that helps bind and smooth out oil and vinegar — and you have a crazy-delish dressing with no more effort than pouring and whisking. If you can’t find Garlic Expressions, use any oil-and-vinegar sub dressing (often found in the deli department), or even an Italian vinaigrette.

How to Make Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the pasta salad.

Prep notes

Here’s a quick guide for prepping the ingredients, if you need it (not including anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container, such as dried herbs and liquids).

• Slice the salami and pepperoni into small pieces.
• Chop the peppers into small dice.
• Peel and dice the red onion, discarding the stem and root ends. Soak the onions in water for about 15 minutes if you want to tame the sharpness. Drain and pat dry.
• Shred the parmesan cheese if you purchased it in a block.
• Mix up the dressing (keep refrigerated if you make it ahead of time).

Cook the tortellini

Cook the tortellini and rinse under cold water to cool. Drain well and add to a large bowl.

Make the dressing

Whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.

Assemble the salad

Add the meats, vegetables, and mozzarella to the tortellini in the bowl. Drizzle some of the dressing over the top and toss gently. Add more dressing and toss again, until the pasta is glossy. Sprinkle with a generous amount of the parm and serve.

I hope you’ll give this Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad a try. If you do, tell me how it turns out in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram (@soupaddict) with your photos!

Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad

by Karen Gibson

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A pasta salad twist on the popular Italian grinder sandwich, made with cheese tortellini, deli meats, peppers, and cheeses, all tossed in a lightly creamy vinaigrette.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

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For the dressing

• 1/2 cup sub-style vinaigrette , Garlic Expressions, or an Italian vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

For the pasta salad:

• 20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup chopped salami (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup diced ham (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped peperoncini
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend

Instructions

 

Make the dressing:

• Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside (or refrigerate if making ahead).

Assemble the salad:

• Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Rinse well with lots of cold water in a strainer, and drain.
• Add half of the tortellini to a large mixing or salad bowl and drizzle a little of the dressing over it. Add the remaining pasta and drizzle a little more.
• Add the salami, pepperoni, ham, red peppers, peperoncini, another drizzle of dressing, and, using tongs, fold into the tortellini, taking care not to rip or squoosh the pasta too much.
• Add the mozzarella and about half of the parmesan cheese to the bowl and carefully fold in with the tongs. Taste a forkful of the salad to determine whether there’s enough dressing at this point. If it’s a little dry, add another drizzle (but not too much).
• Cover the salad bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours (refrigerate the dressing, too).
• Before serving, drizzle more dressing over the entire tortellini salad and fold in. The pasta should be glossy, but not drowning in dressing. Serve any leftover dressing with the meal so that your guests can add more if they want.
• Sprinkle the black pepper and Italian herbs over the salad, followed by the remaining parmesan cheese.

Video

Keyword italian grinder tortellini salad, tortellini salad

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