Tortellini Salad With Fresh Basil And Tomatoes In Vinaigrette

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (good quality)
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (basic, not the good stuff)
• 16 ounces dried cheese tortellini
• 1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff)
• 2 (16 ounce) containers cherry tomatoes or 2 (16 ounce) containers campari tomatoes, quartered
• 8 -10 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 -8 scallions, sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, torn

Recipe

• 1 for the vinaigrette: whir first five ingredients in blender until smooth. drizzle thin stream of olive oil in until all is emulsified. set aside.
• 2 boil tortellini according to directions, drain, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. spread cooked pasta out on a jelly roll pan, drizzle with the good olive oil and sprinkle with pepper; stir up to coat tortellini with oil. this prevents the pasta from going glue-y when added to the rest of the salad ingredients. set aside, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to a couple hours.
• 3 in a very large bowl, place quartered tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles, scallions, and pour about half the vinaigrette over, tossing gently. refrigerate the tomato mixture until 2-3 hours before serving.
• 4 about 2-3 hours before serving, toss the oiled tortellini with the tomato mixture, add a bit more dressing, if you think it needs it. refrigerate. just before serving, toss the fresh basil with the tortellini-tomato mixture. serve.