Sometimes it’s hard to find something everyone will love when it’s crunch time before dinner time rolls around. This 20 minute Spicy Italian Sausage Alfredo Tortellini is a simple pasta dinner in a homemade, zesty garlic flavored cream sauce. It dots all the I’s & crosses all the T’s for the entire family.
A simple pasta salad that’s loaded with fresh ingredients, this Summertime Tortellini And Vegetable Pasta Salad is bold, bright, and a beautiful addition to any seasonal menu.
A dish of creamy warm comfort food, this Creamed Spinach Tortellini with Seasoned Shrimp is the perfect thing for a hearty Winter meal.
This creamy tortellini based pasta salad is a perfect all-in-one Summer meal. Featuring cheese-stuffed tortellini, crisp crumbled bacon, leafy pieces of fresh romaine lettuce, and sliced grape tomatoes– everything’s tossed in a rich, creamy dressing before being chilled and serve cold. It’s light, yet it’s filling. It’s fresh and yet also refreshing. This BLT Tortellini Salad is the perfect side to any backyard get together but it stands on it’s own two feet just as well for a solid lunch or a light supper.
If you grew up in the South pasta salad was and still is a staple, but it typically just involves plain pasta and some sort o mayonnaise base. Shake things up with this fun new twist- Pepperoni & Basil Tortellini Salad, in a creamy Caesar dressing with sliced sweet grape tomatoes too.
Mediterranean Tortellini Pasta Salad makes a filling vegetarian meal, or a flavor-packed Summer side dish. With bright, fresh veggies, cheese filled tortellini pasta, and salty feta cheese tossed in a Greek-style red wine vinaigrette this is bound to be the headliner of any menu.
So in my head I had this pegged for a meatless Monday meal post, buuuuut Monday was Memorial Day, and you totally know how it is when all those cookout invites from family & friends get in the way of reason and productivity. Tortellini Tuesday? Totally a thing (at least for today).
All star, and easy to follow, this meal was right up our alley.
Creamy Tortellini with spinach & tomatoes
recipe adapted from Bomb Shell Bling
1 lb cheese tortellini
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon onion flakes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Begin by boiling your tortellini noodles until they are al dente (aka ready). Follow the directions on the package for boiling time.
2. While the tortellini is boiling, roughly chop the spinach.
3. Heat a large skillet using medium heat and put the two minced garlic into it. Sautee it briefly until fragrant, about thirty seconds or so.
4. Add into the skillet the petite diced tomatoes (undrained), spinach, salt, pepper, dried basil, and onion flakes.
5. Cook and stir over medium high heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
6. In another bowl, combine the flour and half-and-half. Whisk until fairly smooth.
7. Add the creamy mixture into the the skillet along with the parmesan cheese.
8. Heat through and reduce the heat to medium low and continue to stir and cook until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
9. Add the drained tortellini and mix together gently.
10. Serve and enjoy!
I feel like I need to spread the love and not horde this amazingly simple scrumptious creation. I may be jumping the seasonal ‘gun’ a bit, but this meal just says summer to me. Summer (noun) as in, “it is too hot, and I am too tired to cook”. This meal is freaking awesome! This salad is a delicious combination of complementary flavors. You’ll enjoy the creamy, tangy Caesar dressing in this recipe. Though calling it an actual recipe is a bit of a stretch, it’s still sure to do the trick.
Tortellini Caesar Salad
recipe adapted from Amuse Your Bouche
2 cups tortellini (I used a spinach and ricotta flavor)
1/2 cup lettuce, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan-style cheese, shaved
3/4-1 cup of Caesar dressing
black pepper
Directions
1. Boil the tortellini according to the instructions on the packet. Fresh tortellini takes just a couple of minutes to cook, so make sure you don’t overcook it – you want it to be slightly al dente. Once cooked, drain the tortellini and give it a rinse under cold water. Set aside to cool fully.
2. When the tortellini is cool, add it to the remaining ingredients, and mix gently to combine. Serve immediately.
3. Note: if making this salad in advance, only add the dressing when ready to serve. Also, if serving a crowd, this meal easily doubles.
