Pesto Tortellini Salad
This Pesto Tortellini Salad showcases the brilliant flavors of fresh homemade pesto sauce...it's SO good, you'll want to use it on everything.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the Pesto Sauce:
- 2 cups basil leaves, fresh, tightly packed
- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for tossing
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
For the Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound cheese tortellini
- 8 ounces mini mozzarella balls, pearl sized
- 1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: Add basil, garlic, and pine nuts in food processor and pulse several times until chopped. Add olive oil and lemon juice with zest. Process until smooth and well blended. Add freshly grated parmesan and pulse a few times just to combine.
- Use rubber spatula to scrape all of the pesto sauce into a container; season with kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste. Cover airtight and chill until ready to serve.
- In pot of generously salted water, cook tortellini to al dente according to package instructions. Drain, but do not rinse. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Gently toss tortellini with mozzarella and tomatoes in a serving bowl. Add desired amount of pesto sauce. Save any leftover sauce in airtight container to keep in fridge.
Notes
- Use fresh, sweet basil leaves for the pesto. Genovese or sweet basil varieties work best. Choose young, tender leaves for the most balanced flavor.
- Toast the pine nuts before adding them to the pesto. You can do this in a dry skillet for 2 minutes at medium heat or in the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes. Toasting adds a rich, nutty flavor that brings depth to the sauce.
- Make extra pesto and store it in the fridge to use throughout the week. It also freezes well in small containers. A thin layer of olive oil on top helps prevent browning.
- For noticeably better results, grate your own parmesan cheese from a good quality block of cheese.
- This recipe is part of our Picnic Recipes Collection.
- We love serving it with light and easy protein like our 10-Minute Garlic Shrimp or Air Fryer Salmon.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.4g | Protein: 14.2g | Fat: 19.9g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 26.8mg | Sodium: 440.6mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 1.3g