Christie's Favorite Tortellini Salad

It was a warm summer night and... I was heating things up in the kitchen!!  Tomorrow is my Godchildren's 2nd birthday party, and I volunteered to make a tortellini salad for 50 people.  Ambitious...or dumb?  Anyway, my husband decided to go out for the night, which left me at home....alone!!  I decided to make a night of it.  
I lit a few candles for mood lighting, 

poured myself a glass of pinot, and got to work.


My favorite tortellini salad is a combination of one my mom used to make growing up, something I had at a bbq once and tried desperately to recreate, and my own little twists and tricks.   The dressing is sweet & tangy, there are plenty of veggies, and just enough cheese that starts to get nice and gooey when the tortellini goes in piping hot.  drool.


To make the salad, you will need:

1 lb cheese filled tortellini

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup provolone cheese cubes

3 oz hard pepperoni (optional)

¼ cup sliced black olives

½ cup red bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp red onion, diced

½ cup fresh/frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice


To feed 50 people, I quadrupled the recipe, beginning with 4 lbs of tortellini.  They almost didn't make it into the salad...they're my fave.  The cooking instructions are super simple.  

1.  In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente (3-5 min for tortellini usually) and drain.

Little tortellinis cooking!

Red Bell Peppers & Red Onion

Chopped Pepperoni, Black Olives, Red Peppers, Onions

2.  In a food processor, combine garlic, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey. Blend until smooth. With the processor running, add the olive oil and vegetable oil in a thin steady stream. Season with salt and pepper.   (Luckily, we got an a-mazing food processor as a bridal shower gift, but I used to use a hand mixer and it came out just as good).

Our Cuisinart Food Processor doin' its job

3.  In a large bowl, combine the tortellini, cheese, pepperoni, olives, bell pepper, onion, peas, parsley, rosemary and lemon juice. Gently toss and drizzle with vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Best served at room temperature. 

Almost Ready....

My bowl, as a reward for completing this mission :)

........................................wait for it......................................

The finished product, all ready for the party tomorrow!!

Ps:  If you decide to make it and change it up a bit, I would love to

 know what you did, added, substituted, etc!! (or leave a comment 

and let me know what you think about this!) Enjoy :)