When I tell you this is single handedly the BEST pasta salad I’ve ever made that tastes so damn good I could cry, I truly truly mean it. I know there’s a whole warm marry me pasta and chicken trend going around, but I took these same flavors and made it a cold salad which omg… just wow.
We have sun dried tomatoes and a mascarpone based dressing with Parmesan, black pepper, and white wine vinegar. I added in lots of basil and some sauteed and cooled spinach. The final touch which ties it together is mortadella. I used a spinach and cheese tortellini but any tortellini that you like will work, I just recommend a cheese based filling with either meat or veg or both!
Marry Me Tortellini Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked spinach and cheese tortellini cooled
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup chopped mortadella
- 1 bunch basil chopped
- Additional Pecorino Romano and black pepper for garnish
Directions
- Cook the tortellini: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini to the boiling water. Cook according to the package instructions, usually 2-3 minutes for fresh tortellini or 8-10 minutes for dried tortellini, until they float to the surface and are tender. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain the tortellini and let it cool down.
- Prepare the Dressing (I do this while the water is heating) On a cutting board, chop the mascarpone, pecorino, sun dried tomatoes, a pinch of salt and pepper and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mash it together with a knife to form a rough paste.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed cheese and tomato mixture. Pour in 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Add the reserved pasta water gradually, stirring constantly until the dressing is smooth and well combined. Add the additional 2 tbsp of olive oil and whisk together. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and add additional red wine vinegar for extra zinginess if preferred.
- Assemble the salad! Add the cooled tortellini to the bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat the tortellini evenly with the dressing. Fold in the chopped mortadella and fresh basil leaves. Add some more pecorino Romano to taste. Top with basil, pecorino and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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