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READY IN 1½ hrs

Tortellini Bacon Broccoli Salad

Read Reviews (102)

"This is an excellent pasta salad that is great to make for the week ahead or to bring to potlucks! Make it -- you won't be disappointed. You may frown at the coleslaw dressing, but trust me, it's amazing in this recipe! This recipe is highly requested when served." — MostAwesomeChefEver

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Original recipe makes 10 servings Change Servings

2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated three-cheese tortellini
1 pound bacon
4 cups chopped broccoli

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup bottled coleslaw dressing

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Directions

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces while still a little warm.
Place the tortellini, bacon, broccoli, grape tomatoes, and green onions into a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the ingredients, and toss lightly to coat. Chill in refrigerator before serving.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 1 hr 30 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Notes
You can use whole wheat three cheese tortellini, which can usually be found in the refrigerated section of the store, low sodium bacon or turkey bacon, and light coleslaw dressing.
I suggest starting to cook the tortellini before you start chopping your veggies, since it takes the longest to cool, and then placing it in the refrigerator until you are done with everything else.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 26, 2010

A friend and I followed this recipe almost exactly (we doubled the green onion because we love them) and it was SO good! We were a bit skeptical about the coleslaw dressing but it added a wonderful touch of sweetness to the ingredients. The salad was even better the 2nd day so I'd recommend making it the night before if possible to allow the flavors to meld together... YUMMY! Thanks for sharing!

—Daisy K

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 07, 2010

I had such high hopes for this recipe! But it was a big disappoinment. I followed the recipe precisely. I will not make this again as written. My husband, who will happily eat just about anything you put in front of him, didn't like it either. We both agreed on the two star rating and both agreed that it was the coleslaw dressing that didn't work. Please keep in mind that we both love coleslaw dressing and use a good quality brand. To us, it just did not work with the other ingredients. Thanks for posting this, though ... I'll tweak it a bit and hope for better results next time. :-)

—tat

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136 Ratings

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Mar 11, 2010

This is one of the best recipes that I have found on this site. Fabulous does not even come close to describing it! Everyone loved it and raved about it. Do not hesitate to try this. You can't go wrong. I used a frozen package of tortellini which I believe was 19 ounces instead of 18oz. the recipe calls for. I also chose to use cherry tomatoes because we prefer them over grape. The salad was easy to make, too. I used my kitchen scissors to cut up the bacon and onion so the process went quickly. I also used a full 12oz. bottle of coleslaw dressing. That's what was available and I didn't want a partial jar left in the fridge. I added it slowly to make sure I wasn't killing the consistency, but it turned out great. Bottom line here is that this recipe is also very forgiving on proportions used. Above all- if you are reading this recipe, don't hesitate to try it. My many thanks to the submitter! My family thanks you, too! UPDATE: I can't stop making this!! This is my most repeated recipe from this site!

—Mary

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Feb 01, 2010

This is an old recipe from Betty Crocker and I have been making it for years. I am always asked to bring to potlucks. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds. These make it even crunchier.

—JodyB

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Jul 27, 2010

Since posting this, I have started making a few changes. Now, I cut the bacon up into small pieces, several slices at a time, and then just put the entire pound of bacon in a skillet and cook it together-- MUCH easier. I also throw in my favorite spice at the end, which is lemon pepper, so I encourage you to kick it up a notch with your favorite pepper or spice too. I love the addition of a handful of sunflower seeds. And feel free not to use refrigerated tortellini-- you can use whatever kind of tortellini you like (as long as it's cheese!). One more thing, I try to make varying degrees of crispiness for the bacon-- some chewy, some crispy. Thank you guys!

—MostAwesomeChefEver

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May 04, 2010

Too bad it isn't possible to give 'only' 5 stars. OMG.....this was OUTSTANDING. I made no changes whatsoever. Just to die for yummy! I agree with the poster; who would have thought coleslaw dressing would have worked so perfectly. DH agreed. This one is a real keeper. Go to the head of the class MostAwesomeChefEver!!

—quiltersammy

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Feb 01, 2010

Really great! I can't wait to try it tomorrow, can't imagine it tasting any better. I bought pre-cooked bacon and crisped it in the microwave, worked well.

—kay

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Apr 19, 2010

What a great salad! I used light dressing and also did not need to use the whole bottle of dressing.

—cmprebil

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Nutrition

Calories
349 kcal
17%

Carbohydrates
33.6 g
11%

Cholesterol
47 mg
16%

Fat
18.2 g
28%

Fiber
2.6 g
11%

Protein
13.9 g
28%

Sodium
736 mg
29%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Tortellini Bacon Broccoli Salad

Serving Size: 1/10 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 349
Calories from Fat: 163

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18.2g 28 %
Saturated Fat 5.5g 28 %
Cholesterol 47mg 16 %
Sodium 736mg 29 %
** Potassium 275mg 8 %
Total Carbohydrates 33.6g 11 %
Dietary Fiber 2.6g 11 %
Protein 13.9g 28 %
** Sugars 6.8g
Vitamin A 9 %
Vitamin C 65 %
Calcium 3 %
Iron 7 %
** Thiamin 13 %
** Niacin 24 %
** Vitamin B6 9 %
** Magnesium 6 %
** Folate 17 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.