Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

9oz to 1 pound package of tri-color cheese tortellini

1-2 cups chopped veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, pesto tomatoes, bell peppers, mini peppers)

2-4 ounces of your favorite flavorful cheese, cubed

1/4 C. finely grated parmesan or Romano cheese (fresh or the canned kind!)

Salt and pepper, if desired

Homemade Zesty Italian Dressing

Ingredients:

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

1 T. sugar

2 T. dried oregano

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 T. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt

1/4 C. white/red wine vinegar

2/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. water

What to do:

Mix dry ingredients (dressing) in a small reseal able container. You will only be using 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture to make a portion of salad dressing. That way you will always have some on hand. So with that said, mix 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture with the vinegar, oil and water. Shake, Shake, Shake.

Cook your tortellini according to package instructions. Put in fridge and chill for at least one hour. Once chilled (tortellini) put all ingredients in a medium size bowl, pour in the homemade dressing and mix!  If you’re making this salad to serve the following day make extra dressing so you can drizzle some extra over the salad just before serving, it tends to soak up the dressing when it sits overnight. It should keep in your fridge for about a week, if needed.

Christina’s Notes:

Making this a main meal is easy; just add chunks of bacon, turkey or chicken. You can also buy a store bought dressing if you’re running out of time!!!