Tasty Tuesday!
Whew, Labor Day is already here and gone? How did that happen? I already started turning on my oven, as the wee ones and I made cherry granola and chocolate chip cookies this morning. But since you've seen those recipes already, I'm headed for something else I made this weekend.
Back to school has been busy, but we're still trying to eat at home and find things that will make good leftovers, especially since my husband is a little particular about them (he refused to eat the leftover quinoa for lunch today, for example). This is one of my favorites though, since it comes together so easily but doesn't really taste like you're cheating!
Not Your Average Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
20 oz frozen (or refrigerated) three cheese tortellini
1 bunch basil
3/4 c olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 c Parmesan, grated (no green cans please)
1 c toasted pine nuts (separated)
1 c Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3/4 c sundried tomatoes, chopped
14 oz jar artichokes, chopped
1/3 c red onion, minced
Directions:
Start by making your pesto (yum!). Wash and dry the basil, then rip off the thick stems and place them in the Cuisenart with the garlic. Pulse to chop. Add 1/2 c of the pine nuts and pulse until you have a lovely green mass. Turn it on again, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Very slowly. Once it's emulsified, add the Parmesan and mix to blend. Then, set the pesto aside.
Prepare the tortellini according to the package directions, making sure that you do not overcook it. You want it al dente so it absorbs the remaining flavors. While the tortellini is cooking, chop the onion, and prepare the remaining items -- chopping the olives, tomatoes, and artichokes.
While the tortellini is still hot (don't rinse it once you drain it!), add the pesto and vegetables, as well as the remaining 1/2 c of pine nuts. This is a very forgiving recipe, so add more or less of the various ingredients as you desire. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Enjoy!
And check out more great recipes with Lisa @ Blessed By Grace with her Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!
13 comments:
Thanks for the recipe. I am determined to mix it up this year with delicious dinners...and lunches for my family.
Don't ask how I stumbled upon you because I can't backtrack but I enjoyed your website.
I love pasta salads! Your recipe sounds good!
Oooh, this sounds delish! :D
Sounds YUMMY!
That sounds so good, I wish I had a bowl of it in front of me right now...even though it's only 8:30 in the morning!!!
I love pasta salad! what do you mean no green cans?! are you discrimanting based on color?! I'm shocked! ;)
For this one, I already have my paper and pencil ready!! Thanks!
Our church did something called a "Daniel Fast" a few years ago...everyone was belly-aching about how hard it was to find recipes, but for some reason having to manage with few ingredients was kind of fun to me. Who knows why.
This sounds great!
Jillian - However you got here, welcome! It's a good one :)
Ave - Me, too... or I should say, I like SOME pasta salads. I can't do the ones that are heavy on oil and light on taste!
Sherry - Yep, sorry there were no pics, so it didn't look good, too!
Jennifer - Absolutely!
Kristin - Right there with you. In fact, reading your comment reminded me that I forgot to eat breakfast. Oops.
Cookie - No, I'm discriminating against defective items that shouldn't actually be called cheese due to all the processing and chemicals in them :)
Kelly - Paper and pencil? I'm impressed!
Sabrina - I've never heard of that, but it sounds interesting. I may have to google it.
ohhh that sounds so delicious! I love olives and artichokes together :)
That does sound good!
Sounds super yummy and Mediterranean! Awesome!
I am finally back to cooking and have missed it SO much. Last night I made my homemade spaghetti sauce (which is really more a bolognese than a marinara) and hubby complained because I served it with corkscrews instead of spaghetti noodles. (The corkscrews hold the sauce a LOT better). Men!
Roxane - Ohhh yeah, that's always a good combination. Yum!
Lisa - Most definitely! I hope you enjoy.
Angela - Pseudo mediterranean anyway :) And YES you have to choose your pasta around the type of sauce you're having. Men is right!
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