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Southwest Tortellini Salad with Creamy Salsa Dressing

Make ahead, favorite potluck Southwest Pepper Jack Tortellini Pasta Salad = cheesy pillows of tortellini, sweet corn, black beans, avocado, bell peppers, etc. bathed in Creamy Salsa Dressing and garnished with bacon, Pepper Jack, sunflower seeds. Oh my YUM!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 -12

Ingredients

Tortellini Salad

  • 23 oz. refrigerated cheese tortellini
  • fresh corn kernels from 1 ear of sweet corn
  • 1 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, chopped
  • 1 large Avocado, chopped
  • 6 slices thick cut bacon, crumbled (more or less to taste)
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Pepper Jack cheese or more to taste

Creamy Salsa Dressing

  • 3/4 cup salsa (medium for more of a kick)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (may sub.plain Greek yogurt)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • juice from 1 lime (2 tablespoons)
  • 1 jalapeno seeded, deveined and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp EACH salt, ground cumin, sugar**
  • 1/4 tsp EACH pepper, smoked paprika
  • Milk as needed
  • Hot sauce to taste

Instructions

  • Add all of the Creamy Salsa Dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor and "chop" then puree until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency.
  • Cook Tortellini in generously salted water just until al dente according to package directions (do NOT overcook - we don't want soggy tortellini). Rinse tortellini in cool water and add to a large serving bowl. Add. corn, bell pepper, tomatoes, black beans, red onion and half of the dressing. Gently toss. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
  • When ready to serve, add avocado, bacon, cheese and the desired amount of dressing to the salad (you may not use all it) and gently toss to combine. Add additional dressing if needed so its nice and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper and hot sauce if desired.

Notes

**May want to increase sugar if using Greek yogurt
***The picture shows pepita seeds but I decided I preferred the salad without the seeds.

Helpful Tips and Tricks for Tortellini Pasta Salad

  • TORTELLINI: I use fresh refrigerated tortellini for this tortellini pasta salad.  You can use any type of cheese tortellini and even think sausage tortellini would be yummy.
  • DON’T OVERCOOK TORTELLINI. Tortellini is one of the starts of this tortellini pasta salad so it is extremely important to not overcook your tortellini otherwise it will fall apart when tossed.  It is better to check a piece and see if it is done and continue cooking then to cook them too long.
  • STOP TORTELLINI FROM COOKING. To stop your tortellini from cooking after it’s removed from the heat, rinse and drain it in cold water.
  • TOMATOES: Don’t substitute the cherry tomatoes for Roma or another variety because they will fall apart in the salad.
  • BELL PEPPER: You can substitute the red bell pepper for whatever you have on hand but my fav for this tortellini pasta salad is red because it is the sweetest.
  • THICK CUT BACON.  It is essential to use thick-cut bacon in this tortellini pasta salad recipe so it retains its meaty texture when covered in the creamy dressing.
  • FRESHLY GRATED CHEESE.  I am a huge proponent of freshly grated cheese vs. the pre-packaged stuff because freshly grated will ALWAYS taste better because it doesn't have the extra chemicals added to it - and it's fresh!
  • SUBSTITUTE CHEESE.  You can substitute the pepper Jack cheese for Monterrey jack cheese just be aware it won't have the same kick so you may want to spice up the dressing with hot sauce.
  • PREP AHEAD DRESSING. You can make the dressing for the tortellini salad up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  I think the dressing is far superior when made in advance because the flavors have time to develop.
  • USE MEDIUM SALSA FOR A KICK.  If you know you prefer spicier foods use medium salsa in the dressing.  If you aren't sure how spicy you would like it then use mild and you can add in some of the jalapeno seeds to taste or hot sauce to taste.

HOW TO MAKE TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD AHEAD OF TIME

  • You can make the Creamy Salsa Dressing up to 24 hours in advance of the tortellini salad and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you choose to make it this far in advance, you might want to add a little more lime before tossing as the citrus will mellow over time – just taste first and then make the call.
  • You can prep all of the Tortellini Pasta Salad ingredients in advance making this a fabulous make ahead dinner or side. Add the tortellini and all of the ingredients to a large bowl EXCEPT the avocado and toss with half of the dressing.   Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, chop and add the avocado and the remaining dressing and gently toss until evenly combined.