5.21.2013

Tortellini Pasta Salad

Memorial Day is this weekend, which means summer is almost here!
It also means it is BBQ & grilling weather. I love this time of year because we eat outside, use the grill and I make yummy side salads.
I made up this tortellini salad years ago and it is now one of my go-to salads during the summer. 
I have already made it 2 times in the last month. For Luke's Dedication & for our neighborhood block party last week. It is so easy to make and it makes a TON, which is great for big crowds!
Here is what you need:
 - 1 bag Frozen Cheese Tortellini
-  Bowtie Pasta (I use about 1/2 - 3/4 of the box, depending on how big the crowd is)
- 1 can of artichoke hearts
- 1 jar of Sun Dried Tomatoes,  Julienne cut
- Broccoli
- Yellow Bell Pepper
- Orange Bell Pepper
- 1 can sliced olives
- Grated & Shredded Parmeasan Cheese
- Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (I use light)

Start off my boiling a pot of water for your Tortellini and Pasta.
While you are waiting for the water to boil, start chopping up your bell pepper & broccoli.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
Cook & Drain the Tortellini and Pasta according to your package directions.
(Frozen Tortellini is about 3 minutes, Bowtie Pasta is about 8 minutes)
After the tortellini & pasta is drained, put it in a big salad bowl & toss it with some of the balsamic vinaigrette, just enough to coat the pasta.
Now it's time to add the goodies to the pasta!
Dump in the sliced olives (drained), artichoke hearts (drained) & sun dried tomatoes (I partially drain these)  Add the chopped bell peppers & broccoli. 
I love colorful food. Isn't it pretty?
Then, I toss it all together. I cover it and keep it in the fridge 4-6 hours before I serve it.
(Often, I will make this salad the night before! This is a great make ahead salad!)
Right before I serve this salad, I sprinkle on some of the grated Parmesan AND the shredded Parmesan. I will add a little more of the balsamic vinaigrette dressing & then it's ready to eat!

 I love the flavor that the cheese tortellini give, It's a fun twist to pasta salad.
 I hope you like this salad, it is definitely a staple in this house during summertime & it's a real crowd pleaser...my kids even eat it (and, they are super picky!)
Going to a BBQ this weekend for Memorial Day? This is a perfect salad to bring!
Enjoy!

17 comments:

  1. My sister made this for a recent family get together. This is a great pasta salad!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love pasta salad and this one sounds and looks delicious! This may be a way to get my younger one to eat veggies :) Heather

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was just about to look on Pinterest for a pasta salad recipe.... So glad I read your post first! This looks delicious, easy and pretty! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! This looks delicious! I'm a sucker for pasta salads, and as a vegetarian, I appreciate the fact that this one is meatless already! I am definitely going to be making this soon! In fact, I was just thinking today how it's getting so hot and I want to make more dinners that don't require so much cooking.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks wonderful Mel...Thanks for sharing another one of your wonderful recipes! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thought the sundried tomatoes were bacon in the first picture. Now i want bacon in it, yum!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh and thanks for your Oklahoma acknowledged <3

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm totally going to steal this for one of my lunch ideas! Yummy!! XOXO

    ReplyDelete
  9. looks delicious! I am going to pin it now : )

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yummy! I have to make this soon. And your corn dip has been on my mind for nearly two weeks. I fear a big bowl of that will be consumed very soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. That looks so good! I'm going to try it next week!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mel, thanks so much for posting this. Every since I seen a picture of it from one of your last posts I have been waiting!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm a new reader - I think I found you through Mix and Match Mama - anyway, just wanted to let you know I made this for my twin's birthday party yesterday and it was a huge hit - even with those who don't normally like pasta salad! Thanks so much for posting :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm a newbie here. Found you through Proverbs 31 Ministries! Love your recipe. Is there anywhere to print your recips plain text? Just curious if I'm missing it? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi, Mel! I have loved reading your blog the last couple years and your recipes are awesome! I am going to try out your tortellini pasta salad for a football party we're having this weekend, but I wasn't sure how much bell pepper and broccoli do I cut up? It looked like only half the peppers in the pics, but I don't know. Any tips would be great! Thanks and hope you're surviving the back-to-school rush!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks so much for posting a lot of this awesome content! Looking forward to checking out more.

    cheese board & salad bowl

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin