Summer Tortellini Salad with Arugula, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Toasted Pine Nuts
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the vegan tortellini in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, then set aside.
- While the tortellini cook, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Do not leave the stove, as they burn easily.
- In a large bowl, gently combine the cooked tortellini with the red pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, then top with the toasted pine nuts and fresh basil.
Nutrition
Notes
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Let us know how it was!Why This Recipe Works
It’s the third cookout of August. The table already has two kinds of potato salad, a tray of something droopy, and a pasta salad that’s mostly mayonnaise. You know the scene, and you know you don’t want to add to it.
This summer tortellini salad with arugula is the bright, peppery outlier. I landed on it after a farmers market impulse buy: a bag of tri-color tortellini, a jar of vegan red pesto, and some baby arugula that was too pretty to leave behind. I tossed them together mostly to clear out the fridge. The bowl was empty in ten minutes.
Here’s why this summer tortellini salad with arugula earns a spot at every table it touches:
- 15 minutes, zero oven. A summer tortellini salad with arugula shouldn’t take longer than the burgers, and this one doesn’t.
- Room temperature friendly. It happily sits through an entire potluck without wilting or sweating.
- Vegan as written, and nobody will guess.
- Make-ahead friendly if you follow a few simple rules. More on that below.
It’s the salad I now carry to every gathering. People ask for the recipe every single time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The shopping list is short, and every ingredient pulls its weight in this summer tortellini salad with arugula:
- Vegan tortellini: 9 ounces. Tri-color makes the bowl look like confetti.
- Vegan red pesto: 4 tablespoons. This is the sauce. It’s what hugs the warm pasta.
- Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes: 10 pieces, roughly chopped. Sweet, chewy, intense.
- Artichoke hearts in oil: 10 of them. California-grown if you can get them, since they’re firmer and less watery.
- Black olives, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, fresh basil, arugula.
That’s the lot. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to finish. The usual cold tortellini salad leans on heavy mayo or bottled dressing; here, the red pesto does all the work while the arugula adds that peppery snap. If you’re new to red pesto, this summer tortellini salad with arugula is a gentle introduction. It’s savory, rich, and not spicy at all.
If your store doesn’t carry vegan tortellini, check the refrigerated pasta case at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. Most fresh pasta brands make an egg-free version that works beautifully in an Italian pasta salad.
How to Make Summer Tortellini Salad with Arugula
Making this summer tortellini salad with arugula takes about 15 minutes, and there are four helpful stages to keep in mind. None of them are hard.
1. Boil the Tortellini
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the tortellini until al dente, following the package directions. It’s done when it floats to the top, usually within 5 minutes. Don’t walk away. Overcooked tortellini collapses into soft, breakable pieces under the pesto, and there’s no coming back.
2. Chop the Mix-Ins
While the pasta works, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, halve the cherry tomatoes, and slice any large olives in half. Keep the pieces small enough that every forkful has a little of everything. Bright red, deep green, briny black. The colors alone are worth it.
3. Toast the Pine Nuts
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and add the pine nuts. Keep them moving for about 3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Do not leave the stove. Pine nuts go from perfectly toasted to bitter and burnt in about 20 seconds. When they smell nutty and look lightly browned, pull them off the heat.
4. Toss Everything Together
In a large bowl, gently combine the warm tortellini with the red pesto, then fold in the tomatoes, artichokes, olives, and arugula. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with the toasted pine nuts and torn basil.
The warmth of the pasta softens the arugula just slightly and melts the pesto into every crevice. That’s the moment this summer tortellini salad with arugula turns from good to the dish someone asks for by name.
Tips for the Best Summer Tortellini Salad
I’ve made this summer tortellini salad with arugula more times than I can count. These are the details that matter:
- Taste before you season. Red pesto and olives both carry salt. Add salt slowly, then finish with a few cracks of black pepper.
- Add extra arugula at serving time if the bowl is heading to a table. It stays perky, and nobody has to suffer a wilted pasta salad with arugula.
- Let it sit a few minutes after tossing. The recipe notes say it’s best at room temperature. Give the flavors a moment to settle.
- Tear the basil, don’t chop it. Chopping bruises the leaves and dulls that fresh, slightly sweet aroma.
If you want to prep a summer tortellini salad with arugula the night before, keep the arugula out and toss it in the next day. It takes 30 seconds and makes all the difference.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe is more of a template than a rule book. Here’s how to make this summer tortellini salad with arugula your own:
- No arugula? Baby spinach works. Same soft texture, milder bite.
- No tortellini? Any short pasta gets you there. Farfalle, fusilli, and penne all hold the pesto well.
- Add protein: Roasted chickpeas keep it plant-based, or grilled chicken and shrimp turn it into a grilled chicken tortellini salad.
- Swap the pesto: A fresh green basil pesto makes a brighter, more herbal pesto tortellini salad. Green or red, both work.
- Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes? Rehydrate them in warm water for 10 minutes, then add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Want heat? A pinch of red pepper flakes changes everything, in the best way.
- Cheese lovers: Fresh mozzarella balls or crumbled feta are a lovely optional add-in. So are parmesan shavings if you’re not keeping it vegan.
Serve it as a vegetarian summer main dish on its own, or pile it next to whatever is coming off the grill.
How to Serve This Salad
Set this summer tortellini salad with arugula out at room temperature and watch it disappear. It’s the quiet star of any cookout table, and it pairs with whatever comes off the grill: burgers, chicken, kebabs, you name it. It’s also a solid answer if you’re hunting for BBQ salad ideas that aren’t another wedge of iceberg.
On a 95-degree evening, this becomes a proper no-cook summer dinner. The kitchen stays cool, the bowl stays chill, and your energy stays somewhere other than the stove. There’s a reason this summer tortellini salad with arugula keeps showing up at my family’s cookouts: it works.
For picnics and potlucks, carry the arugula and basil separately in a bag, then toss at the destination. That’s the secret to keeping the greens crisp and the picnic pasta salad looking like you styled it on site.
Storage and Leftovers
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The tortellini soaks up some of the pesto as it sits, so don’t be surprised if the salad looks more dressed the next day. That’s not a bad thing, it just means the flavors are settling in.
When you pull it out, refresh it with a handful of fresh arugula and a few torn basil leaves. Serve it cold straight from the fridge, or let it sit 20 minutes to come back to room temperature. This make-ahead pasta salad strategy works because you’re adding the greens late, not because the pasta is invincible.
One honest note: this summer tortellini salad with arugula does not freeze well. The tortellini turns soft and the arugula turns sad. Make it fresh, share it generously, and enjoy the leftovers for lunch.
Already planning your next gathering? Save this summer tortellini salad with arugula to your favorite summer salad Pinterest board. It’ll be waiting for the next hot day, and trust me, you’ll want it.
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