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Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad

Italian grinder tortellini salad with cheese tortellini, Italian meats, provolone, and banana peppers for a sub-inspired deli salad. Chilled for 2 hours so the flavors meld, then finished with crisp iceberg lettuce right before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 1150
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cheese tortellini salad base
  • 1 lb cheese tortellini
  • 8 oz salami Quartered
  • 8 oz pepperoni Quartered
  • 8 oz ham Diced
  • 8 oz provolone cheese Cubed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes Halved
  • 1 cup banana peppers Sliced
  • 0.5 cup red onion Diced
  • 2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce Added just before serving
Italian dressing and seasonings
  • 1 cup Italian dressing
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook and cool the tortellini
  1. Cook cheese tortellini according to package directions, then drain and rinse under cold water until cooled.
  2. Spread the rinsed tortellini out on a sheet pan in a single layer to help it cool evenly, then let it stand 5 minutes.
Build the salad
  1. Combine tortellini with salami, pepperoni, ham, provolone cheese, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and red onion in a large bowl.
  2. Mix Italian dressing with Italian seasoning and garlic powder until the seasoning is evenly distributed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat every piece.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the salad for 2 hours, covered, so it thickens slightly in texture and the flavors meld.
Finish and serve
  1. Just before serving, add shredded iceberg lettuce and toss again until evenly mixed.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the tortellini well and drain thoroughly so the salad doesn’t get watery when chilled. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze is not recommended. For a lighter option, use a reduced-fat Italian dressing if you want the same coating without as much saturated fat.