Tortellini Grinder Salad

Burgers and dogs always want the spotlight at a barbecue or backyard cookout. But I always keep an eye out for those delectable sides, like the pasta salads. Some of them have meat or are so filling that you don’t need anything from the grill—and this recipe for tortellini grinder salad is one of those. It’s inspired by a grinder sandwich loaded with Italian meats and cheeses.

This pasta salad recipe calls for cheese-filled tortellini tossed with four kinds of deli meat, plus cheese, vegetables and tangy dressing. My husband and I enjoyed this salad as a work-from-home lunch, and I’m really excited to make it for our upcoming get-togethers as a scene-stealing barbecue side dish!

What is a grinder?

You may call a long, filled deli sandwich a submarine or a hoagie or a hero, but to us New Englanders, it’s a grinder. The name covers both hot and cold varieties—although some will say a grinder is only hot—and every town has their favorite downtown shop that makes what locals swear are the best grinders around.

One of my family’s favorite grinders is the Italian: a long, soft sub roll or a baguette filled with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and cured meats like salami, ham, mortadella, pepperoni and prosciutto. The grinder is dressed with a red wine vinegar and oil dressing and, if you like, a dollop of “hots,” also known as cherry pepper relish.

Tortellini Grinder Salad Ingredients

• Dressing: The dressing for the salad is a simple but flavorful blend of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a store-bought or homemade Italian seasoning blend. A little sugar in the dressing softens the tanginess just enough.
• Tortellini: I use refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini in this salad. When the warm pasta is tossed in the dressing, the cooked tortellini soaks up the flavor as it cools.
• Charcuterie meats: Four of my favorite deli meats, classic additions to an Italian grinder, are sliced and tossed into the salad: Genoa salami, thinly sliced ham, prosciutto and capicola.
• Provolone cheese: I couldn’t resist adding a little more cheese to this salad. Bites of provolone are delicious with the meats and vinaigrette dressing.
• Red onion: The potent flavor of thinly sliced red onion is perfect in this salad, and it adds a pop of purple color too.
• Spring mix: Italian grinders often hold a layer of shredded iceberg lettuce, but for this salad I went with a colorful spring mix because it holds up better when tossed with the dressing. You can also use chopped romaine lettuce.
• Tomatoes: While many types of tomatoes work in this salad, my go-to is Roma tomatoes. They have fewer seeds to remove and thicker walls, perfect for dicing or slicing.
• Black olives: The briny, earthy flavor of sliced black olives pairs very well with the Italian ingredients in this pasta salad.
• Cherry pepper spread: The menu boards at good grinder shops always have an option to add “hots,” which is a spicy pepper spread, to the sandwiches. This spread is made by grinding and pickling fresh cherry peppers, which results in a spread that adds a vinegary, hot kick. Find jars in the condiment section at the grocery store. It’s also sold as “hoagie spread” or “spicy sandwich spread.”

Directions

Step 1: Make the dressing

Pour the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning blend, sugar, salt and black pepper into a small bowl. Whisk them together well. Set the dressing aside.

Editor’s Tip: You can also add the ingredients to a medium-sized covered jar and shake them up.

Step 2: Prepare the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add the tortellini. Cook them according to package directions until they reach al dente. Drain and transfer the hot tortellini to a large bowl. (Do not rinse.)

Editor’s Tip: For pasta salads like this one, the pasta should be cooked just to al dente; if it’s overcooked, it will become mushy and fall apart. Watch the tortellini closely as it cooks, and drain off the water as soon as it reaches al dente.

Step 3: Combine the pasta and dressing

Stir or shake the dressing to bring it together again, then pour half the dressing over the hot tortellini. Use a spoon to toss the pasta in the dressing to coat. Set the bowl aside.

Let the tortellini and dressing cool to room temperature; 20 to 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining dressing.

Editor’s Tip: One of my favorite pasta salad tips is to skip the cold water rinse and instead toss the still-hot pasta with the dressing. This allows the pasta to soak up the flavor, and the dressing clings to the starch on the surface of the noodles.

Step 4: Add more ingredients

Once the pasta has cooled, add the sliced salami, deli ham, prosciutto, capicola, provolone cheese, black olives, sliced red onion, chopped tomatoes and the cherry pepper spread to the bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup dressing and toss everything together.

Step 5: Chill

Cover the bowl and place the salad in the refrigerator. Chill it for one hour or longer. Cover the remaining dressing and hold it at room temperature.

Step 6: Add the lettuce and serve

Just before serving, stir the spring mix into the salad. If the pasta salad seems dry, stir in more of the dressing. Add a dash more salt or pepper to taste, then serve the salad.

Editor’s Tip: You may have extra dressing leftover, which is perfect to stir into leftover salad the next day to remoisten it. Or, enjoy the extra dressing over a small green side salad.

Tortellini Grinder Salad Variations

• Make it with mayonnaise: To give the dressing a lightly creamy texture, whisk some mayonnaise in with the other dressing ingredients. Any leftover dressing made with mayonnaise should be refrigerated.
• Add pickled ingredients: Chopped dill pickles are a tasty addition to this salad, as are pickled red onions. For a little extra heat, stir in pickled banana peppers or pepperoncini sliced into rings.
• Try spicy meats: Ask your deli counter for hot ham and spicy capicola. These fiery versions give the pasta salad extra heat. (That’s how we enjoyed our tortellini grinder salad!)
• Reduce the heat: On the other end of the spectrum, you can reduce the level of spice by decreasing the amount of cherry pepper spread you use, or skipping it entirely.

How to Store Tortellini Grinder Salad

The tortellini grinder salad should be stored in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Cover the bowl tightly so that the salad won’t dry out. Any extra dressing should be stored in a covered container at room temperature or in the fridge. The oil in the dressing will solidify in the cold, but you can briefly heat it in the microwave and then shake or stir the dressing until it’s smooth.

How long does tortellini grinder salad last?

When kept tightly covered and refrigerated to protect the quality, tortellini pasta salad will last for up to three days. Keep in mind that the lettuce in the salad will begin to wilt after the first day; you can always remove the wilted lettuce and replace it with fresh, or just eat the leftover pasta salad without it.

Tortellini Grinder Salad Tips

Can you make grinder salad with other types of pasta?

Although I really like cheese tortellini for this salad, you can certainly make it with other types of pasta if you wish. Short, sturdy pasta shapes are ideal, as they will hold up best under the weight of the dressing and sliced meats and cheese. Try pastas like rotini, large elbows, ziti or cavatappi.

What can you serve with tortellini grinder salad?

With meats, cheese, pasta and vegetables, I like to think of tortellini grinder salad as a pretty complete meal! Of course, there’s always room for bread, so try serving the salad with buttered slices of crusty Italian bread or ciabatta bread. This pasta salad is perfect to enjoy with our best grilling recipes like chicken breasts and flank steak for cookouts and summer potlucks.

Can you make tortellini grinder salad ahead of time?

Yes, it’s a great idea to make tortellini grinder salad in advance and then just pull it from the fridge when it’s time to serve. The assembled salad can be made and refrigerated up to one day ahead of time, but wait to add the spring mix lettuce and any extra dressing until just before serving. Or, you can prepare the components in advance and hold them in separate covered containers in the fridge. Then, toss them together the day you want to serve the salad.