Ah summer. The time to grill out with friends, enjoy delicious meals on the deck and having lots of friends over. I had a girls night last weekend and had a handful of amazing girlfriends over to chat over wine, a delicious spread of food and eventually end up out by the campfire.
We’ve been in our house for a year and it’s hard to believe I ever lived anywhere else. It seems so cliché but this is home. We’ve got a great house on 2.5 acres and yet are close enough in that it only takes me 20 minutes to get to work, downtowns (both St. Paul and Minneapolis) and less than 5 minutes away from grocery stores, a gym. Now if only we had a few more friends that lived out this way!
The biggest part of this place that really makes it ours is how easy it is to entertain. We’ve got a great open floor plan, a kitchen I love to cook in, a pool and deck to sit on and a great fire pit for those warm nights. Nothing makes me happier than having a house full of people! And in order to entertain so often I am always on the source for great salad recipes that will serve a whole bunch of people. Those dishes that are easy to make ahead, stick in the fridge and bring out right before dinner. I want to hang out with guest not be stuck in the kitchen the whole time. My pick this month for the Secret Recipe Club was one of those make ahead salads.
This salad feels like summer in a bowl; basil, mozzarella, tomatoes, Italian Dressing and cheese tortellini. Perfect on a warm day! Thanks to Wendy for having this delicious salad on her blog, this come together in about 15 minutes and makes most people happy. I made it vegetarian but you could easily add in some chicken.
I used Red Gold diced tomatoes for this salad, it’s a great way to add in some extra flavor. They sent me the cutest package with diced tomatoes, a tomato apron and a tomato spreader. All of come in handy already.
Caprese Tortellini Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: salad
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Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 14-ounce can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, drained well
- 8-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- 3-4 basil leaves cut in a chiffonade
- 1 cup bottled Italian dressing
- Salt/Pepper
Instructions
Cook the tortellini according to package directions, let cool.
While the pasta cooks, prep the onion and basil. Drain the tomatoes very well.
To assemble the salad, add the cooled tortellini to a large serving bowl.
Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, red onion and basil to the bowl.
Pour the Italian dressing over the top and toss well to combine all ingredients.
Top with salt/pepper and refrigerate for 2-3 hours and serve.
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