Lately, I’ve been cooking with pre-made tortellini and jazzing it up. This tortellini pasta salad combines three cheese tortellini with fresh corn, tomatoes and bell pepper and a delicious basil vinaigrette. Being the cheese fanatic that I am, I went a step further and added mozzarella bocconcini to the mix.
You’ll need:
For the tortellini:
- 20 oz pre-made cheese tortellini, fresh or thawed if frozen
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 ear sweet corn, kernels removed (about 1 cup)
- 3 green onions, sliced
- Mozzarella bocconcini, halved (to taste)
For the basil vinaigrette:
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini until done, then drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, corn and green onions in a bowl. Add cooked tortellini to bowl and mix.
- In a food processor, blend basil, garlic, shallot, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, olive oil and pepper until smooth.
- Pour basil vinaigrette over pasta and mix to combine.
- Serve at room temperate or cold after being refrigerated. Don’t forget to add mozzarella on top for a truly decadent summer meal!
Source: Adapted from a recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod