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Italian Grinder Tortellini Salad

Italian grinder tortellini salad with cheese tortellini, Italian meats, provolone, and banana peppers—built like a sub sandwich and served chilled. Tortellini gets cooked, rinsed cold, then tossed with deli-style toppings and an Italian dressing mix for a crisp, flavor-forward deli salad.
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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: 620
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cheese tortellini
  • 1 lb cheese tortellini Cheese tortellini (typically refrigerated or dried; follow package directions).
salami
  • 8 oz salami Quartered.
pepperoni
  • 8 oz pepperoni Quartered.
ham
  • 8 oz ham Diced.
provolone cheese
  • 8 oz provolone cheese Cubed.
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes Halved.
banana peppers
  • 1 cup banana peppers Sliced.
red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion Diced.
shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce Add just before serving to keep it crisp.
Italian dressing
  • 1 cup Italian dressing
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
garlic powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Method
 

Cook and cool the tortellini
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the cheese tortellini according to package directions, until tender. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water so the pieces stop cooking and look glossy but not sticky.
Build the grinder-style salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the tortellini with the salami, pepperoni, ham, provolone cheese, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and red onion. Toss gently until everything is evenly distributed with visible meat and cheese throughout.
  2. In a separate small bowl, mix the Italian dressing with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder until the seasonings are suspended. The dressing should look evenly speckled before you pour it over the salad.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat all the tortellini. Continue tossing until the salad looks glossy and evenly covered.
Chill
  1. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The salad should look thickened and well-marinated after chilling, with flavors absorbed into the tortellini.
Finish and serve
  1. Just before serving, add the shredded iceberg lettuce and toss again to combine. The lettuce should stay bright and crunchy with clear green edges.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the tortellini with cold water right after draining to prevent clumping and keep a tender, distinct bite in the salad. Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days; add iceberg lettuce only right before serving for best crunch. Freezing is not recommended due to the lettuce texture. For a lower-fat swap, choose part-skim provolone or reduce the provolone by half while keeping the meats the same.