Easy Southwest Tortellini Pasta Salad – This easy and flavorful Tortellini Pasta Salad is loaded with veggies, has a simple homemade dressing and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Servings: 5
Ingredients
- 20 ounce package three cheese refrigerated tortellini
- 1 cup corn , fresh cooked, canned or frozen
- 15 ounce can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 avocado , peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1/4 cup red onion , chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
Dressing:
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- juice from 2 limes
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add tortellini to a large bowl. Add cooked corn, black beans, bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a resealable jar. Shake until combined. Pour desired amount of dressing (you may not want to use it all) over the pasta and toss to coat.
Notes
Tortellini: Although the dry packaged kind will work for this recipe, I just don’t think they taste as good. The refrigerated kind only take a few minutes to cook once your water is boiling and they’re much better tasting.
Variations:
- Add protein: grilled chicken, tofu, shrimp or steak.
- Substitute what you already have! Use your favorite kind of beans, and incorporate other veggies you like or already have on hand.
- Adjust Spice: add some hot sauce to the dressing, to turn up the heat.
- Dressing: if you don’t want to make it from scratch (sigh!) you can add your favorite store-bought zesty southwest or Italian.
Make Ahead Instructions: Cook the tortellini, chop the veggies and make the dressing, but store separately. Combine everything just before serving!
Source: tastesbetterfromscratch.com