This super simple, but flavorful salad will keep you satisfied! I love these flavors. I make a similar salad quite a bit, but without the tortellini. It’s such a fun addition. I love that it feels a little like a pasta dish, but you get so many more veggies (and more protein!).

I get my cheese tortellini at Aldi. It is affordable and delish! I will just make one serving of it for this salad and save the rest for another time. Mozzarella cheese sticks make this salad simple too! Just slice it up! To lower the fat, I use turkey pepperoni. Hormel is the brand, I usually find it at Target. The banana peppers add some great zing!

The dressing is a simple olive oil and lemon dressing with some dried Italian herbs. Making your own dressing doesn’t need to be complicated. I find there are many ways to make it flavorful without too much fat or oil.

This is a beautiful salad as well to serve with company. It also would make a great meal prep. All the ingredients are hearty, so they will hold up well. Just add dressing when you are ready. You can serve this as a lunch or lighter dinner. If you want to make this vegetarian, just leave out the pepperoni. Enjoy!

Italian Tortellini Salad

Course: Salads, Dinner, LunchCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Protein

22.9

g

Fat

13.2

g

Carbohydrates

25.4

Easy and satisfying, this Italian salad has all the best things!

Ingredients

• 3 cups arugula

• 17 slices Hormel turkey pepperoni (30g), quartered

• 1/2 cup 3 cheese tortellini

• 2 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 1 stick, light string cheese, cut into wheels

• 1/4 cup pickled banana peppers

• Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

• Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine vinaigrette ingredients by whisking together in a small bowl.
• Cook tortellini according to directions. Drain and set aside.
• Toss arugula in dressing.
• Top arugula with tortellini, pepperoni, banana peppers, tomatoes, and cheese.

Notes

• MFP Entry: Sprinkles and the Smiths Italian Tortellini Salad
• Feel free to leave the pepperoni off to make this vegetarian.