Pasta Salad Skewers with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pasta salad skewers turn Italian antipasto into a fun appetizer on a stick! Made with your favorite store-bought tortellini or tortelloni and tossed in a creamy balsamic vinaigrette for a big flavor boost.

These bites are perfect for make-ahead entertaining, potlucks, BBQs, and picnics. They're always the first thing to disappear at any gathering!

I've been making these for yeeeears now. I used to always serve them with the creamy balsamic vinaigrette on the side for dipping, but this past spring I decided to try something a little different and they were even better than ever.

I'll share both options in the recipe below. Let's get into it!

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Jump to:

• 🧡 Why we love this recipe
• 📝 Ingredients
• ✅ How to make this recipe
• 🍝 Tortellini vs. tortelloni
• 📌 Tips
• 🍴 Variations
• 🍽️ Still hungry? You may also like...
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🧡 Why we love this recipe

• They're bright, colorful, and endlessly customizable.
• It's like an Italian antipasto skewer, and food on a stick is ALWAYS fun.
• They can be made in advance and are served chilled. Perfect for the summer heat.
• These are a great, vegetarian-friendly party appetizer offering.
• It's a great dish to have kids help make.

📝 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make this delicious pasta appetizer (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

• Refrigerated filled pasta like tortelloni or tortellini - I like using a 3 cheese variety, but pick your favorite
• Bell peppers - a mix of colors is always pretty
• Grape or cherry tomatoes - again, I typically use a mix of colors
• Pitted black olives
• Fresh basil leaves
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dried parsley
• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Garlic powder
• Dijon mustard
• Granulated sugar
• Plain yogurt - regular or Greek
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

✅ How to make this recipe

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette.
3. Drain pasta and toss with ⅔ of the vinaigrette.
4. While the pasta cools, prep your other ingredients.
5. Assemble the skewers, then drizzle with the rest of the vinaigrette and serve!

See recipe card below for full instructions.

🍝 Tortellini vs. tortelloni

Some brands label their filled pasta as "tortellini" and some label it "tortelloni". Some websites claim that tortellini are usually smaller and typically contain meat, and that tortelloni are larger and usually contain a cheese-based filling.

From what I've observed in stores when buying both tortellini and tortelloni, the terms seem to be interchangeable. Look for a size of filled pasta that will work when skewered, and choose based on the type of filling you want to serve.

Personally, for this dish, I like to keep it to a cheese-filled tortellini/tortelloni so that friends who eat meat and friends who don't can all enjoy it!

📌 Tips

• Wooden skewers are great to use when taking these to potlucks, but if you're enjoying them at home, reusable metal skewers are a great choice.
• If you want something daintier, use shorter skewers with just one piece of tortellini and each of the other items per skewer.
• Feel free to use a smaller package of tortellini and only 2 bell peppers if you're making this for a smaller crowd.

🍴 Variations

• If you'd prefer to use the vinaigrette as a dip, toss the cooked pasta with a bit of olive oil so they don't stick together.
• You can also serve this without skewers as a pasta salad. Just combine everything in a big bowl after the pasta is cooked.
• I'll often double this recipe and make skewers with half and and a big pasta salad with the other half.
• Feel free to add cheese to your skewers - bocconcini (bite-sized balls of fresh mozzarella) would make a great addition!
• To make it more like an antipasto skewer, add cubed salami to the skewers.
• If you like pickled items, adding Giardiniera could be a fun way to mix things up.

If you're looking for more tasty pasta salad options, my antipasto pasta salad is another one that uses the same vinaigrette.

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📖 Recipe