It's been in the 80's all week and my Japanese maple tree officially scorched from the heat slash drought that was last Sunday. It's too hot to cook but if I try to eat one more all leafy green salad again I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up in the Taco Bell take out line. My quick and easy dinner savior? This light yet filling tortellini pesto pasta salad!
Tortellini just ups the ante for any salad amiright? And just LOOK at all the fun stuff I added to it! Marinated artichoke heats, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, fresh cherry tomatoes because summer, Kalamata olives, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan cheese, and a homemade kale basil pesto sauce 😍.
Lately I seem to always have a jar of that pesto on hand in the fridge. Probably has something to do with my completely misunderstanding of how to sow kale seeds...apparently don't plant them all at one time...
Duh 🤦🏼♀️.
Next year will be better!
PS. If you wanna just be chill and skip the pesto making, a store-bought jar of a straight up basil pesto is a great alternative!
My favorite thing about this salad? The only cooking you have to do is boiling water for the pasta.
Literally that's it. And just look at all the veggies you get too!
Delicious and nutritious 👍🏻. Scroll down to to grab the recipe!
PrintTortellini Pesto Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A flavorful, quick, and easy summer salad with three cheese tortellini and a homemade kale basil pesto. Perfect for those "too hot to cook" summer evenings!
Ingredients
- 1 lb three cheese tortellini pasta
- ½ cup kale basil pesto
- 3-4 cups baby spring greens
- ½ cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil and parsley, roughly minced for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini pasta to al dente according to box instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and chill until ready to use.
- In a large, bowl, toss together all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Leave a Reply