Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Summer Tortellini Salad

Do I dare start this up again? It has been so long...Why not? At least I will have a bunch of good recipes in one spot. I got this tasty pasta salad recipe from the Sisters' Cafe blog. I didn't have all of the ingredients and it still turned out great. I used half of a double pack of tortellini from Sam's Club. It seems like it was definitely more than 9 ounces of pasta. I kind of just added the ranch and cheese till it looked nice and coated like I would want it.

Summer Tortellini Salad
Submitted by Amy ~ www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

1 pkg. (9 oz.) uncooked refrigerated cheese-filled
tortellini(You can also use dry tortellini. Barilla has a yummy four cheese and Costco has really good tortellini as well)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (I use the equivalent of baby carrots instead)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (or 4 tsp. dried parsley if you don't have fresh...fresh is always best of course, but dried works fine too)
1/2 cup home-made or you're very, very favorite ranch dressing (I tend to skimp a bit on this measurement but 1/2 a cup isn't too much, just trying to be healthy:)
Parmesan Cheese - to taste
*Option - I have added left over Rotissere chicken to this and really liked it

Cook
tortellini according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Place tortellini in a large colander and set aside. Meanwhile, slice zucchini. chop carrot(s). Cut tomatoes in half and slice green onions. Snip parsley, if using fresh. Add vegetables to tortellini. Poursalad dressing over salad. Grate parmesan cheese oversalad. cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6 servings