Whether you serve it for dinner or as a side dish at a BBQ, this Pesto Tortellini will be the star of the show!
Ingredients
- 20 ounce package three cheese refrigerated tortellini
- 2/3 cup Caesar salad dressing , divided
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
- 6 ounces black olives , drained and chopped
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1/4 cup basil pesto *
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , divided
- 6–8 fresh basil leaves , chopped, for garnish
Instructions
-
Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
-
Add tortellini to a large bowl. Add caesar dressing to the pasta and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, olives, green onion, basil pesto, salt and pepper and garlic powder and toss to combine. Add sunflower seeds and 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese and toss to combine.
-
Serve warm or cold. Store in the fridge. If it seems to dry after sitting in the fridge (the pasta can absorb a lot of moisture) you can add another spoonful of caesar dressing and/or pesto. Garnish with the remaining parmesan and fresh chopped basil before serving.
Pesto: Homemade, or good quality store-bought basil pesto. (Tip: Use your leftover pesto to make one of these recipes!)
Caesar Dressing: make your own, or use store-bought. I like this one.
Tortellini: I recommend good quality refrigerated tortellini. You could use any flavor, or substitute regular noodles.
Add Chicken to make it a heartier meal. Rotisserie chicken would work great, or leftover cooked, grilled chicken.
Extra Veggies: Add sautéed zucchini or yellow squash, chopped bell peppers, spinach.
recipe fromtastesbetterfromscratch