Tortellini Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing

This tortellini salad with fresh basil dressing is made for a picnic! Tossed with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas it is fresh flavored and perfect for summer eating.

It’s good to have goals in life, or at least that’s what Remy’s pediatrician told me when he asked if I was giving her vitamin D drops and I looked at him like he had six heads.

The good news is, I’m doing way better at my goal of getting at least one post up a week than I am at getting any vitamin D drops into my kid.

The bad news is, I’m doing way better at my goal of getting at least one post up a week than I am at getting any vitamin D drops into my kid.

Ah, well. You can’t win ’em all.

I should probably just tell the nanny that the D drops are her job.

Pushing the responsibility onto someone else? Totally the adult thing to do.

Speaking of adulting, I totally went to the gym this week! Twice!

And ate ALL MY VEGGIES.

It’s so not hard when your veggies are in the form of tortellini pasta salad. Uh, hello – BEST KIND OF PASTA SALAD EVER.

I just can’t get behind any kind of mayo as salad dressing, so I’m always on the lookout for pasta salads without it.

This lemony fresh basil dressing kind of majorly rocked my world. And upped my summer pasta salad game. By a lot.

I made it with asparagus back when asparagus was still in season (where does the time go?!), but you can totally substitute it for zucchini or summer squash, which I know your gardens are bursting with.

And then you can pat yourself on the back for being all adult-like. As we do.

Tortellini Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing

 

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This tortellini salad with fresh basil dressing is made for a picnic! Tossed with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas it is fresh flavored and perfect for summer eating.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 lb fresh spinach tortellini
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (!4.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Set aside.
2. Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic to the pain and saute until fragrant and tender, about 3 minutes. To the pan, add the asparagus. Saute until just tender and bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and basil.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the tortellini with the asparagus mixture. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙th of recipe

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