Pasta Salad Recipe
Summer means salad for dinner. It is too hot to turn on the oven and make something complicated for dinner. My family loves to eat tortellini. Last summer we enjoyed a cold tortellini salad with vegetables and today I am sharing with you a new take on the tortellini salad. This pasta salad recipe is easy to make and full of protein and vegetables. I served this picnic recipe at a family picnic and it was a huge hit with all the kids and adults.
Cook the Tortellini
The first step in this recipe is to cook your tortellini in boiling water. A few tips for cooking tortellini. Multicolor tortellini are fun to eat. Make sure your water is boiling very strongly before adding the tortellini. Add your tortellini and as soon as they float they are done. Ours only took 2-3 minutes to cook! Do not overcook them.
Add in Toss’ables: marinated tofu cubes
Nasoya just came out with a brand new product. Toss’ables are marinated tofu cubes and they come in two flavors: balsamic vinaigrette and garlic and herb. These tofu cubes are so fun to use in summer recipes, no baking or cooking your tofu. These are perfectly seasoned tofu cubes with a whopping 14 grams of plant-based protein in each 3 oz serving. Toss’ables are vegan, certified organic and gluten-free! and come in two delicious flavors – Balsamic Vinaigrette and Garlic & Herb. To prepare the Toss’ables to add to the pasta salad you just need to open up the bag and add them to your bowl.
Chop your vegetables in small pieces
Chop your vegetables very small so your pasta salad recipe is easy to digest. Your kids will enjoy finding all the colors of the rainbow on their plate.
Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together
Whisk together all your vinaigrette ingredients. It smells so delicious and will be a perfect light topping to this pasta salad recipe.
Pasta Salad Recipes are great for Picnics
Toss the tortellini in the vinaigrette first. Then add all your chopped vegetables. Finally, add your Tofu cubes and toss it all together really well.
This tortellini pasta salad with tofu is perfect for your next cookout, potluck dinner, barbecue, or just when you are too hot to cook. This recipe is filled with healthy vegetables and filling tofu cubes and tortellini pasta.
What is your favorite food to serve in the summer?
Ingredients
- Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp. sugar
- Salad Ingredients:
- 1 package of tortellini
- 2-3 peppers cut in small pieces
- 1 box of grape tomatoes cut in half
- 1 can of sliced olives, well drained and dried
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minces
- 1 small cucumber diced and seeds taken out
- 1 small red onion diced
Instructions
- In a large pot bring water to a boil.
- Add tortellini when boiling vigorously and cook 2-3 minutes, until they are floating on top.
- Run cold water over the tortellini to stop them from cooking any longer.
- Whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients.
- Toss the cold tortellini with the vinaigrette.
- Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
- Toss the vegetables and tortellini with vinaigrette all together.
- Add in the tofu cubes and the fresh parsley and drained olives.
- Toss everything together and mix well.
- Chill and serve cold.
I received samples of Toss’ables from Nasoya to create a recipe. All thoughts, opinions, and recipe creations are 100% my own.
That looks awesome! This pasta salad with all the healthy veggies would be great for a summer picnic.
This pasta salad is really healthy and packed with protein! Perfect for a picnic.
This sounds and looks incredible. I’ve always liked a good pasta salad. We eat a lot of them over the summer.
Pasta salad is such a lovely summer dish. It cools you down and fills you up!
One of the really neat things about pasta salad is that everyone makes it a bit differently and uses different ingredients. Your pasta salad is very colorful!
Thank you! I want to eat the rainbow in every bite!
Have never heard of tried the Tossables before. Salads are a main stay for summer eating. Adding meat to the salad can make it a complete meal.
I agree with you, I could not live without cold salads in the summer!
I’ve never met a pasta salad I didn’t like and this one looks so delicious. I make pasta salads often during the summer and I’m looking forward to making this one.
That is funny! I also never met a pasta salad I did not like 🙂
This looks delicious!! I have never cooked with tofu but I have always wanted to try – this entire mix looks absolutely scrumptious!
The best part of Toss’ables is that the tofu is already cooked and marinated.
That looks absolutely amazing! I like pasta salad especially because I do not need to turn the oven on to make it. That is a perfect size to what I am making for dinner tonight.
I hate to turn the oven on in the summer too! Pasta salad is a cool dinner compromise.
I love tofu so a salad like this with tortellini is a great meal for the summer or any time of year. I will look for those cubes where I shop and will try and make this soon.
I hope you can find the Toss’ables! They are in the produce section of your grocery store with the other Nasoya products. Enjoy!
I am in love with this! It looks so fresh and I can’t wait to give it a try. We have been venturing out into a healthier way of eating so salads are big in the household as of late. Will suggest this to hubby for our weekend salad meal.
Salads are so healthy and this one is delicious. I hope you enjoy it! Summer is a great time of year to start eating healthier.
That looks amazing! I love pasta salads during the summer because they’re so filling and refreshing but you don’t have to heat up the kitchen. They’re easy to make as well!
Pasta salads are a summer staple here too. I hope you enjoy this one.
Wow, those pasta are gorgeous! I always buy similar pasta when I see some at TJMaxx.
The tortellini that I used are found in the refrigerated case at your grocery store. It is really fun to find dry pasta in cute shapes for the kids.
I am always looking for delicious side dishes to bring to BBQs. This looks like it’s so flavorful and so easy to make.
This is a perfect side dish to bring to a BBQ~ I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve never seen these before! I’m going to have to find them now and try them out!
You can find the Toss’ables in the produce section near other meatless products and Nasoya products
I love a good pasta salad and this one looks delicious! I need to try this soon!!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it.
this sounds like a good summer salad, I have to admit in the warmer months I always fancy things like salad so much more.
Me too! Salads are a summer staple in our house.
A pasta salad with lots of veggies is a winner for me. I prefer “cold” dishes during the summer months. I would also add cubed up mozzarella cheese as well!
You can definitely add cubes of cheese to this recipe! More protein!
I love how colorful this salad looks. I bet it tastes great! I never really use tofu, I need to step outside the box.
You need to try some marinated tofu cubes. These Toss’ables make it easy to eat tofu since they are already ready to eat!
Wow, these looks so delicious and whats good it that it’s healthy and easy to make. I will definitely try this, probably over the next weekend, hopefully.
I know you will love this healthy summer recipe! Enjoy!
I love pasta salad especially during the summer! It’s so refreshing and no need to heat up the kitchen from cooking as well. This recipe looks SO good!
Thank you so much! I hope you give it a try. You will love it!