Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
Description
Serve family and friends the best pasta salad ever. It has cheesy tortellini, fresh veggies, mozzarella balls, and salami all tossed with a homemade Italian dressing. Make it vegetarian by omitting the salami, if desired.
Ingredients
Homemade Italian Dressing* see below
20 oz. bag refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 cucumber peeled, sliced and quartered
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
6 oz. can black olives, drained and halved
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 T. chopped pepperoncini peppers from a jar
8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls, quartered
8 oz. sliced salami, chopped
feta cheese, Parmesan, parsley, optional
*Homemade Italian Dressing
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. EACH dried parsley, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. EACH dried oregano, paprika, pepper
1/2-1 t. sugar or more to taste
Directions
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Prepare Italian Dressing according to directions below; refrigerate until ready to use; shake or whisk to combine before using.
Salad:
Cook tortellini in well salted boiling water according to package directions; drain. Rinse in cool water; drain again; add to a large bowl. Pour half of the dressing over the warm pasta; toss. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the tortellini.
If serving within the hour, toss with the desired amount of the remaining dressing. The salad can be served immediately, but it's highly recommended to refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors meld and for the salad chills.
To serve later, gently toss ingredients to combine but DON'T add the remaining dressing just yet. Cover; refrigerate.
When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of the remaining dressing. (You might not need all of it.)
10 servings.
Refrigerate leftovers. The salad is great the next day.
Italian Dressing:
Add all the ingredients to a jar; cover; shake vigorously or whisk to combine. Adjust seasonings according to taste. For less acidity, add more sugar. For less tang, add more olive oil. For more tang, add more vinegar.
Cover. Refrigerate for up to 2-3 weeks. Shake to combine before serving.
Makes 1 cup.