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Easy salad recipes are the best in summer and this Corn Pasta Salad is one of my favorites. Made with tortellini, corn and lots of grilled veggies, this simple pasta salad has a homemade Italian vinaigrette.

Similar to my Pesto Pasta Salad and my Pizza Pasta Salad, I used cheese tortellini in this recipe – I love tortellini in pasta salads! I find that tortellini are perfect for pasta salad recipes because they’re a little heartier than regular pasta. If my pasta salad doesn’t have protein in it, then adding some tortellini adds a little more heft to the salad.
There are so many ways to make this recipe and you can definitely change it up to suit what you like. A pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and corn and lots of roasted vegetables is the perfect recipe for summer: they feed a crowd so they’re perfect for a potluck, you can make them ahead of time so you’re not slaving over the stove, and you can use lots of fresh produce that’s in season.
How to make Corn Pasta Salad
- Cheese Tortellini (or any flavor) – make sure to cook it a little al dente so it doesn’t get soggy.
- I used frozen corn in this corn pasta salad but you can use fresh corn if you want. You’ll need about 4 ears of corn, hulled and cooked then removed from the cob.
- Lightly grilled zucchini and yellow squash, diced: Grilled zucchini and yellow squash give this salad a great crunch and flavor. I love grilled vegetables!
- Red bell pepper: Whenever I think about corn I also think about bell peppers and squash, so that’s what I included in this salad.
- Cherry tomatoes are great for color, but you can omit them.
- I make a homemade mustard dressing, but you can use any bottled dressing you enjoy.
SAVE THIS RECIPE
Storing Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is great for making ahead of time – it needs to sit and have all the flavors marry, plus it needs to chill so it’s cold when you serve it. Store in an airtight container in the fridge – it’ll stay good for 3-4 days as long as the tortellini is cooked al dente.
Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 package (about 19 ounces) cheese tortellini see note
- 1 medium zucchini sliced
- 1 medium yellow squash sliced
- 2 cups frozen corn thawed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes diced
- 1 red pepper diced
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon diced shallot
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup white balsamic vinegar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Cook tortelllini according to pacakge directions. Drain and cool.
- While you're cooking the tortellini, heat a griddle to medium high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Grill the zucchini and squash about 3-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness). Cool then dice.
- Mix together tortelllini, diced squash and zucchini, diced bell pepper, tomatoes and corn.
- Place all dressing ingredinets in a mason jar. Cover and shake until emulsified. Pour over salad. Toss to coat.
- Chill and serve within 2 days.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
We love pasta salads. Try our other favorite recipes:
- Pesto Tortellini Salad is another favorite with tortellini
- Pizza Pasta Salad uses tortellini again but you can use your favorite pasta
- BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad has chicken and my favorite BBQ sauce
- Spicy Italian Pasta Salad is an OG classic recipe!
I made this as written and loved it, especially the dressing. Used sweet bicolor corn cut from the cob and Rana refrigerated 5-cheese tortellini. Love incorporating all the veggies, never used grilled zucchini and squash like this before. Perfect!
Oh my gosh I made this today and it is WonDerful!!!!! Thank you.
On every Sunday I make Pasta but never tried like this before. I love this combination of corn, tomatoes etc.
I am sure my family will love this recipe. thanks
This one is one of my favorite recipes! My family loves pastas so Iโm pretty excited to try making this at home. I know theyโre going to love it!!ย
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