Here’s a little something to pack up and take to the pool on what is our first official week of no-school-summer. It’s a tortellini pasta salad with the simplest dressing. Just olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The ingredients deliver so much flavor and the dressing just bundles it all together. I made a big batch of this for two days of dinner and it’s the perfect on-the-go-meal. Sub any of the ingredients and have fun with it:)
My favorite trick with this one is squeezing some lemon juice on the thinly sliced onions and letting them sit while I prepare the rest of the ingredients. The lemon mellows the onions and begins to pickle them, which tastes great. Also don’t skimp on the fresh basil. It’s the taste of summer and it adds so much fragrance and flavor. Lastly, the key is the simple taste test: taste, season, taste again, and maybe season again until it’s mouthwatering and delicious. Enjoy. 😎
Ingredients
16 ounces tortellini, cooked and chilled
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
4 ounces peppered salami, thinly sliced and cut into strips
1-2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
plenty of salt
plenty of black pepper
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. sweet bell peppers, sliced
1/2 c. black olives, halved
1/2 c. roasted red peppers, sliced
1/2 c. canned artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 c. peperoncini
fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1/2 bag of fresh baby spinach
Method
Thinly slice red onion, then squeeze some lemon juice on it. Let it sit with the lemon juice while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. This mellows the sharpness of the onion and pickles it slightly.
Prepare all the veggies while the tortellini is cooking. Chill the tortellini in ice water after it’s done cooking.
Once the tortellini is chilled and the veggies are chopped, drain the tortellini, drizzle the tortellini with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss together, then add the rest of the veggies, salami, and cheese. Gently toss then add a few glugs of olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Add another dash of salt and a few turns of black pepper.
Toss the ingredients again and taste. If you’re mouth isn’t watering for more, add another pinch of salt, some pepper and a smidge more lemon juice. Continue to toss and season until it’s all tasting amazing.
