Tortellini salad has been our go-to barbecue dish for years. The reason: while pasta salads often turn soggy and the dressing sinks to the bottom, this salad holds its shape thanks to the steam-cooking method. The tortellini stay al dente and the dressing stays exactly where it should.
We usually make this salad the evening before. It marinates overnight and actually tastes better the next day. We only add the rocket just before serving so it does not wilt.
Tortellini Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 16 ✓
- 230 g tinned mushrooms whole caps
- 100 g kohlrabi
- 600 g water
- 1 tsp salt
- 300 g tortellini fresh, from the chilled section
- 50 g rocket
- 1 red pepper
- 80 g mountain cheese (e.g. Bergkäse or Comté)
- 100 g cherry tomatoes
- 100 g double cream
- 100 g soured cream
- 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
- 1 tsp medium mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 10 g apple cider vinegar
Instructions 0 / 8
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1
Prepare the mushrooms and kohlrabi.
Drain the mushrooms, peel the kohlrabi, cut into sticks and spread both ingredients across the Varoma tray.
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2
Add the water.
Add water and salt to the mixing bowl.
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3
Cook the tortellini.
Place the Varoma on the mixing bowl, weigh in the tortellini, insert the Varoma tray and steam for 13 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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4
Prepare the rocket and pepper.
Meanwhile, wash the rocket and leave to drain. Wash the pepper, halve it, remove the stalk and seeds and cut into strips.
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5
Prepare the cheese and tomatoes.
Cut the mountain cheese into sticks, wash the tomatoes and quarter them.
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6
Transfer the ingredients to the salad bowl.
Remove the Varoma, then add the kohlrabi, mushrooms and tortellini to a large salad bowl.
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7
Warm the dressing.
Add the double cream, soured cream, vegetable stock powder, mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar to the mixing bowl, mix for 5 sec / speed 5 and heat for 4 min / 80°C / speed 2.
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8
Toss the salad and serve.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the rocket to the salad bowl, pour the dressing over and toss gently. Scatter the rocket on top just before serving and fold it in.
Tip: You can prepare this salad the day before and store it in the fridge. Just add the rocket fresh before serving so it stays nice and crisp.
If the salad is only for adults, add half a tsp of cayenne pepper to the dressing.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why Varoma steaming beats a saucepan
Fresh tortellini from the chilled section need exactly 13 minutes at Varoma temperature. In rapidly boiling water they go too soft on the outside before the filling is heated through. In the steam they cook evenly and keep their bite. That is the difference between a salad that looks soggy after 2 hours and one that still has structure the next day.
At the same time we steam the mushrooms and kohlrabi on the Varoma tray. The mushrooms release some water but not their flavour. The kohlrabi stays crisp rather than turning glassy. Both vegetables go into the salad while still lukewarm, which means they absorb the dressing better than cold ingredients would.
The dressing: warm emulsification, not cold shaking
We heat the dressing for 4 minutes at 80°C. This does two things: the soured cream combines with the double cream into a smooth, lump-free base. And the spices release their flavours fully. A cold dressing stays streaky and tastes of individual ingredients rather than a cohesive sauce.
The mustard stabilises the emulsion between fat and acid. Without it the dressing would separate after an hour. With it, it stays creamy even after the salad has been in the fridge for a day.
Rocket last: timing to stop it wilting
Rocket wilts immediately on contact with a warm dressing or salt. That is why it only goes into the bowl just before serving. If you are preparing the salad ahead, wash the rocket, spin it dry and keep it separately in the fridge. Fold it in right before eating, and you are done.
The same applies to leafy salads in general: they cannot sit in dressing and wait. Everything else in the salad can marinate for hours, but not the rocket.
Which tortellini work best
Fresh tortellini from the chilled section are essential. Dried tortellini from the shelf do not plump up properly when steamed and turn rubbery on the outside. Ready-filled fresh tortellini come in various fillings: ricotta and spinach, cheese and walnut, ham. Any of them work as long as they are fresh.
If you make tortellini from scratch, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes. Homemade tortellini have thinner dough than shop-bought and cook through more quickly.
Mountain cheese instead of Parmesan: why a saltier cheese does not work here
Mountain cheese contains less salt than Parmesan and does not dissolve as quickly in the dressing. Parmesan would make the dressing too salty and lose its texture. Mountain cheese stays visible as sticks and adds bite. Comté or a young Gruyère work on the same principle.
Cut the cheese into sticks rather than cubes. Cubes sink between the tortellini, while sticks stay visible and distribute more evenly.
Fridge resting time: when the salad tastes its best
Freshly made, the salad still tastes of individual ingredients. After 3 to 4 hours in the fridge the flavours have come together. The tortellini have absorbed the dressing, the pepper has released its juices and the vegetable stock powder has fully dissolved. That is the point at which the salad tastes rounded and complete.
We would not keep it for more than 24 hours. The pepper softens and the kohlrabi loses its crunch. But for a barbecue the following day it is ideal.
Heat for adults: cayenne in measured doses
If the salad is not for children, add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the dressing. It gives a gentle kick at the end without making the salad burn. We would not go above half a teaspoon, or the heat starts to overpower the other flavours.
Chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh chilli work as an alternative. In that case, scatter them over just before serving so everyone can adjust the heat to their own taste.
More salads with the Thermomix®:
Goes well with: Ciabatta and baguette.
- Pizza dough in the Thermomix® for homemade pizza variations
- Vegetable spiraliser or julienne peeler for even more vegetable sticks
