Creamy Italian Tortellini Salad

Eye-catching multi-colored tortellini salad in a creamy Italian dressing. So addictive, it’s almost a meal in itself!

Looking for an excellent brunch or light dinner? Look no further than this tortellini salad!

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Tortellini is so versatile because so much can be done with it. It’s so handy to have on hand in the freezer for last-minute meals that come up from time to time.

It’s even a godsend for those times when time gets away from you and you don’t have time to defrost something for a meal.

Even though it’s an ingredient in the background of many dishes–like soups–tortellini is tasty enough to stand on its own; just like in this salad.

The warmer weather is almost upon us and when it gets hot, a lot of us think about eating chilled meals and salads and that’s where this delightful tortellini salad comes into play.

Sure, it can be served as an accompaniment or side to a more substantial dinner, but this salad is hearty enough to stand on it’s own.

When I buy cheese tortellini for a recipe I intend to make, I don’t rely on the frozen–I buy the fresh kind. My store has varieties with many different fillings, but for cheese-filled kind, I tend to buy the tri-colored because it’s really more appetizing to my eye. And it’s an excellent choice for a salad. Of course the white tastes the same, but the colors add something special and as they say, we eat with our eyes.

The dressing is surprisingly simple–all ingredients you have on hand and it makes a great sandwich spread too! You can add a teaspoon or two of Parmesan cheese to the dressing to jazz it up even more, but I left mine basic and it was just wonderful.

Creamy Italian Tortellini Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Judith Hannemann

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (about 9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini (I bought tri-color)
• Dressing:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 envelope Italian dressing mix
• ¼ cup milk or half-and-half
• 1 tbs finely minced onion -OR- ½ tbs dehydrated instant onion (see NOTES)

Instructions

1. Prepare tortellini as per package instructions, but only cook until it's al dente--boil maybe 4-5 minutes. Drain in a colander; keeping tortellini in the colander rinse with cold water then let drain thoroughly. Set aside until completely cool.
2. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pour desired amount of dressing over cooled tortellini.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

If using instant dehydrated onion, re-hydrate before using by placing the dry onion flakes in a small bowl and mixing in 1 tbs warm water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

A nice addition to the dressing is some Parmesan cheese. Add about 2 tsp. if desired.

You may have dressing left over--store in in a covered container in the fridge to use on green salad.

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