Recipe: Tomato Basil Tortellini Salad

I was asked to bring a pasta salad to our Father’s Day lunch. It may have taken 30+ years, but I am sick to death of the classic pasta salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, Italian dressing, and Salad Supreme. I recently saw a recipe for a Greek tortellini pasta salad. I’m not a huge fan of olives or feta cheese, but I thought tortellini would make a great base for a summer salad. I added some tomatoes and cucumbers (it IS a pasta salad, after all), mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil from our garden. Quick, easy, and mighty delicious! 

Here’s what you need:

Tomato Basil Tortellini Salad

1 20oz package of cheese tortellini

1 container grape tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 block of mozzarella (I used about 2/3 of the block)

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar

Salt, Pepper, garlic powder, oregano

Fresh basil

1. Boil the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain and run under cold water.

2. Mix the tortellini with the chopped tomatoes and cucumber.

3. Chop about 2/3 of the mozzarella block into cubes and add to the salad.

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano to taste (I just shook everything in, no measuring)

8-10 fresh basil leaves

Mix dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. 

Stir everything together and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! I ate some the next day for lunch, and it was just as good. Not soggy at all. 

XOXO