What Lola Wants: My First Recipe Tutorial: Tortellini Salad

Friday, December 30, 2011

My First Recipe Tutorial: Tortellini Salad

Hello Again!
This year, one of my blogging resolutions is to mix up my posts a bit to include recipes and DIY projects. I even made a nifty little tab under my blog header to collect these golden nuggets. Hey, I love food more than most, so it makes sense that I would blog about it :)

This is a family recipe from my sweet mother-in-law, Karen. She makes this dish during the holidays and, while it is not diet food by any means, it is chocked full of nutrition. This is a very simple recipe-easy enough for those that don't care to spend much time in the kitchen.

Note: This is pretty much a double recipe, it makes a large bowl with at least 8 servings.

You Will Need:

2 Bags of Frozen Tortellini

4 Roma Tomatoes

One Can of Olives (you can use less olives to taste)

1 bunch of scallions (just use the green tips, not the bitter white portion)

Large package of fresh mozzarella

3/4 bottle of Italian dressing (may use a Light dressing, just don't use Fat-Free)

Boil tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and let cool for about 20-30 minutes.

Chop up your mozzarella, olives, tomatoes, and scallions. I generally core out the seedy, mushy center of the Roma tomatoes and use the firmer part, but that's just me.

Also, you can omit ingredients if you wish (if say you are not much of an olive or scallion person), but it will affect the taste quite a bit. But, maybe for the better, according to your tastebuds :)

After the pasta has cooled, add all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour in about 1/2 the bottle of Italian dressing and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.

After 2 hours check the salad, and if it seems a bit dry, add about half of the remaining dressing, stir, and let refrigerate for a bit longer. The salad tastes best when it has absorbed all the yummy dressing goodness!