Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad With Basil Pesto Recipes

BASIL PESTO TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pan with water and season salt. Place the pan over high heat until boiling. Then add the tortellini to the hot water.
• Cook the tortellini pasta until tender (see instructions on the package). Tortellini are ready when they rise to the surface. Once the tortellini are cooked, drain them. If you are serving this salad cold: immediately refresh the cooked tortellini under cold running tap water to stop the cooking process. Let the (cooled) tortellini drain and then pour them in a large mixing bowl.
• Drizzle the tortellini with the fresh basil pesto.
• Stir the pasta salad well. Then chop up the fresh basil and add it to the pasta salad together with the crunchy pine nuts. Season with a dash of pepper and salt. Add a pinch of garlic powder as well.
• Add the salted capers, the black olives and a good drizzle of olive oil to the pasta salad.
• Stir the tortellini pasta salad well. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt or garlic powder to taste if necessary. Then scoop the tortellini salad onto deep plates if you are serving it warm. Chill the pasta in the fridge for 15 minutes or longer if you are serving it cold.

EASY PESTO TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add tortellini and cook for 1 and 1/2 minutes. Do not over cook!
• Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.
• Place tortellini in a large serving bowl. Add in pesto, tomatoes, cheese, and onion. Toss well to coat.
• Serve at once, or cover and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.

ITALIAN TORTELLINI PASTA SALAD WITH BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Cook tortellini in boiling salted water as directed on the package. Drain and place in a large bowl to cool.
• Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange peppers, red onion, asparagus, and zucchini on a large parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast 10-12 minutes until vegetables are al dente and not too soft. Set baking sheet aside to cool.
• While vegetables roast, make the pesto. Combine the basil, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, cheese, lemon zest and juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to mix.
• With the machine running, slowly add the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 ¼ cups.
• Add the partially roasted vegetables and cherry tomatoes to the large bowl with the tortellini.
• Pour about ¾ cup of the pesto over the mixture and gently toss to coat. You can add more pesto to your liking and serve the remaining on the side.
• Add hot pepper sauce if desired, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with extra basil and parsley. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Enjoy!