Hello my friend on this Fine Tasty Tuesday! I have a super tasty Tortellini Pasta Salad that I hope you will love as much as I do! There is nothing more satiating on a summer day after you’ve been outdoors enjoying the fresh air than a cool and hearty pasta salad! This salad is like a flavor party for your mouth, and puts some real energy in your tummy! And the best part is, its super easy!
But before we get to the recipe, I want to thank my dear friend Maribeth Schmidt who took all the photos for this post. Maribeth is such a talented photographer, and she especially loves food photography, and I am so grateful for her help with pictures for this post and many others! If you would like to contact Maribeth with any kind of inquiry, she can be reached at Maribeth Schmidt Photography .
So lets begin with a list of our ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 2 Packages Buitoni Mixed Cheese Tortellini
- Wishbone Robusto Italian Dressing
- 1 Yellow Onion Chopped
- 1 Red Pepper Chopped (discard seeds and stem)
- 1 Green Pepper Chopped (discard seeds and stem)
- 1 Container Cherry Tomatoes sliced (Or can use a regular tomato chopped)
- 1 Cucumber Chopped
- 8-10 Slices of Salami Cut into Pieces
- 1 Small Bag of Kraft Cubed Colby Jack Cheese
- 1 Small Bag of Hormel Mini Pepperonis
Begin by preparing the Tortellini Pasta according to package directions. Cool pasta in cold water, adding a few ice cubes. When cool, drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.
Tortellini is a special pasta near and dear to the hearts of people in Italy, especially in the city of Bologna, Italy. It is said they have been making the tortellini pasta there since the early 1500’s! A bit like a dumpling, each piece is hand shaped and filled with any kind of filling you prefer, especially popular is ricotta with parmesan. The legend of the shape is that an innkeeper offered his hospitality to Venus the goddess of love who was looking for safety and shelter in this small village. He peeked through the keyhole to her room, and saw her belly button… yes you read that right! He ran right back to the kitchen and formed this pasta as a tribute to her. It is used in all sorts of recipes including soups and with sauces. Those who make the tortellini are true artisans and in the small shops where they make it, people will wait in long lines outside to get the delicious tortellini to take home for their families.
Once your pasta is cool and drained and in a bowl, add all of your chopped ingredients on top of the pasta. When I was chopping all these ingredients, the kitchen smelled simply magical! Talk about wetting your appetite!
Next, take the Italian dressing and pour about 1/4 of the bottle over the entire bowl contents. Gently stir so that all the ingredients are coated in the dressing. Take a tasty tester – is it perfect? Do you need a little more dressing? If so, add a little more and stir.
You can garnish with chopped scallions. Chill until ready to serve.
And when its perfect, smile big and know you are going to bless the stuffins out of your precious friends and family!
This makes a perfect side dish for just about any summer meal.
And it makes a perfect snack to pull out of the fridge and “fuel up” in a hurry!
It would be easy to leave out the meat if you prefer to make it a vegetarian dish.
This is another one of those dishes that is even better on the second day (if it lasts that long in your fridge!)
The night Maribeth and I did these pictures, we stopped for a snack break at around 8 pm- Maribeth and her daughter Amelia and I sat down for a plate of this salad. We were so hungry and it really hit the spot!
I left a large portion at her house, and I took some home too. It was literally midnight when I walked in the door, and my 20 year old son Jake who was still up saw the salad and dug in right then! He kept saying “This is so good, Mom!” Its because there is so much flavor and its just so fresh!
Each bite of the tortellini feels like you are getting a little more coal for your furnace!
It really is so satisfying! And so simple! And the colors and aroma are simply luscious! I hope you will give it a try! My recipes are always easy, you can do this! And you’re going to love it!
I will be back Friday for Fashion Friday! Have a great week, my friend!
Love Always,
Amy
“Nothing brings people together like good food.” ~Anonymous
