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:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini until done, then drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
2. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, corn and green onions in a bowl. Add cooked tortellini to bowl and mix.
3. In a food processor, blend basil, garlic, shallot, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, olive oil and pepper until smooth.
4. Pour basil vinaigrette over pasta and mix to combine.
5. 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