This easy Tortellini Caprese Salad showcases sweet summer tomatoes and fragrant basil, and comes together in under 20 minutes. It’s ideal for a light vegetarian lunch or dinner.
This version of Caprese adds cheese tortellini and pesto to the classic tomato, mozzarella, and basil combination. Store-bought pesto works great, but if you enjoy making sauces from scratch, a fresh basil pesto brightens the dish even more.
Table of Contents
Why Make This Recipe
- Deliciously simple: Just a handful of ingredients creates a fresh, flavorful dish.
- Celebrates summer produce: Ripe tomatoes and homegrown basil really shine here.
- Great for gatherings: Serves well cold, room temperature, or slightly warm, making it perfect for potlucks and make-ahead meals.
🥗 Ingredients
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are recommended—halved they form perfect bite-sized pieces that hold up well. Use what you have if needed.
- Tortellini: Refrigerated cheese tortellini is ideal, but any bite-size stuffed pasta or small shapes like penne or rotini work fine.
- Mozzarella: Bocconcini or ciliegine (small mozzarella balls) are convenient. A large fresh mozzarella ball can be cut into bite-sized pieces instead.
- Mayonnaise: Adds creaminess to the dressing. Use your favorite brand or homemade mayonnaise.
- Pesto: Classic basil pesto is perfect here, but alternative pestos (arugula, kale, or lemony herb variations) will also work.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Rinse 1 pint of cherry tomatoes and cut each tomato in half. Prepare 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella by ensuring it’s in bite-sized pieces.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook one package (about 9 ounces) of refrigerated cheese tortellini according to package directions. Before draining, reserve a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water. Drain the tortellini and rinse under cool water until lukewarm to stop the cooking.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup pesto and 1/4 cup mayonnaise until smooth.
Place the tortellini in a large bowl and toss with the pesto-mayo mixture, halved tomatoes, mozzarella pieces, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. If the salad seems dry, stir in a tablespoon of the reserved pasta cooking water and add more as needed. Taste and finish with coarse sea salt to preference, then serve.
This recipe is forgiving—use the amount of tortellini from your package and adjust the amounts of mozzarella and tomatoes to suit your taste.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
Yes. Make the salad a day or two ahead and refrigerate. Serve cold, at room temperature, or slightly warm. If it dries a bit, stir in a little water or extra pesto before serving.
Freezing cooked tortellini dishes isn’t recommended; thawing can make the pasta overly soft. Freeze uncooked tortellini instead if needed.
A Caprese salad is a simple Italian combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil, representing the colors of the Italian flag. This recipe adds tortellini and a pesto-mayo dressing for extra flavor and texture.
Burrata is rich and creamy and is lovely in a composed Caprese. In a tossed tortellini salad it may become messy, though it would still taste delicious if you don’t mind a creamier texture.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
For a more gourmet finish, make your own mayonnaise or blend pesto and mayonnaise into a pesto aioli for the dressing. Pay close attention to tortellini cooking times—overcooking makes them mushy. Rinsing with cool water immediately after draining stops the cooking and makes the pasta easier to toss. Drain well to avoid a watery salad.
For a fun appetizer, make tortellini Caprese skewers: toss tortellini lightly with pesto, then skewer a tortellini with a cherry tomato half, a mozzarella bite, and a basil leaf.
Other Summer Tomato Recipes
If you enjoy summer tomatoes, try other seasonal recipes to highlight them. Fresh tomatoes are versatile and shine in simple salads, grilled dishes, and rustic preparations.
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Burrata Caprese with Peaches
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Tomato Salad (Salade de Tomates)
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Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
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Tomatoes Provencal (Tomates à la Provençale)
If you make this Tortellini Caprese Salad, we’d love to hear about it. Please rate the recipe and leave a comment with your tweaks or serving ideas. Your feedback helps refine and inspire future recipes.
📖 Recipe
Tortellini Caprese Salad
Chef Molly Pisula
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 13.5 ounces), halved
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella (bocconcini or ciliegine preferred), bite-sized
- 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Coarse sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Cut the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces if needed.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to package directions. Reserve a couple tablespoons of cooking water before draining.
- Drain and rinse the tortellini under cool water until lukewarm to stop the cooking.
- Whisk together the pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl.
- Toss the tortellini with the pesto-mayo dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella, chopped basil, and black pepper. If the salad seems dry, add a tablespoon of reserved cooking water and mix. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and serve.
Notes
Make-ahead: Prepare up to two days in advance and refrigerate. Serve cold, at room temperature, or slightly warm. Add a splash of water or extra pesto if it dries out.
Tortellini tips: Watch the cooking time carefully to avoid mushy pasta. Rinse with cool water to halt cooking and drain well so the salad isn’t watery.
Nutrition
Calories: 581 kcal | Carbohydrates: 36 g | Protein: 24 g | Fat: 38 g | Saturated Fat: 13 g | Cholesterol: 82 mg | Sodium: 955 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 3 g
Instagram users: If you make this recipe, tag @vanillabeancuisine or use #vanillabeancuisine — we love to see your photos!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals using seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef and with more than a decade as a personal chef, I develop well-tested recipes that are approachable and family-friendly.
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