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Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe

This pasta salad recipe requires more Italian ingredients than some other pasta salad recipes floating around. With the popularity of Italian foods, you most likely have all necessary ingredients in your pantry and freezer. The use of tortellini makes this salad a favorite. Tortellini are ring-shaped usually stuffed with cheese, although can be stuffed with meat-though not recommended in this case, pastas.

Another popular ingredient is the artichoke. Readily available in jars and cans, Spanish settlers bought this Mediterranean native to California in the 1600s, however it did not become popular in the U.S. until the 1920s.

Salad Ingredients:

1 package cheese tortellini
1 can artichoke hearts
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Dressing:

1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon mustard
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon basil

Directions:

1. Mix all dressing ingredients together.

2. Cook the tortellini according to package directions.

3. Drain and rinse the artichoke hearts and cut them into quarters.

4. Add the remaining salad ingredients (except the Parmesan) and toss with the dressing.

5. Top with a generous sprinkling of parmesan and refrigerate.