Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord…Psalm 31:24

I absolutely love salads!  Anyone who knows me, knows I can eat salad for almost any meal.  It doesn’t have to be a green salad…as long as it says ‘salad’, I like it.  Pasta salads are fun to make and quite fulfilling.  They can be a side salad that compliments the meal or can be a main dish in itself.  

I created this pasta salad for a bridal shower that, at the time, had a   mediterranean theme. (She changed the theme the closer we got to the day of the shower, but the recipe still worked for what we did).  My daughter, Meghan (Matron of honor) and the Maid of honor, were hosting the bridal shower and I told them I would help out with the food.  Meghan and I have hosted quite a few showers and we work well together.  She has a great mind for decorating and naturally I love creating and preparing the food.  I wanted to do something flavorful but uncomplicated since we were traveling to Texas and wouldn’t have my ‘tools of the trade’ with me.  Borrowing someone else’s kitchen that I wasn’t familiar, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too much of a burden. To prepare this pasta salad, all you need is your basic equipment.

Mediterranean Tortellini Salad is fast and easy and absolutely delish. I received rave reviews at the shower and the bridal party ate the salad as leftovers the day after.  

If you are preparing to eat the pasta salad right away, make sure the pasta is fully cooled before mixing the rest of the ingredients.  This salad tastes the best as a cold salad. Also, you noticed I didn’t add any seasonings to the pasta salad.  The marinated artichokes and the brininess of the olives adds just enough flavor that I didn’t sense the need to add salt.  Feel free to add it if you wish.

Mediterranean Tortellini Salad

Cook Time:  3 minutes

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Total Time:  15 minutes (including boiling water)

INGREDIENTS:

1 (19 oz.) pkg. Cheese Tortellini (frozen or fresh)

1 (9.9 oz.) marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped

¼ c. roasted red pepper, chopped

½ c. chopped kalamata olives

2 tbsp. Shredded basil

1 cup caesar dressing

DIRECTIONS:

Follow cooking directions on the package of the tortellini.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until fully combined.  Best, if chilled.  

Yields: 6 side servings