+
+
= (yummy!)
it also =
but it's still worth it!
We like to eat it with
(just throw a loaf of thick, crusty bread in the oven for a few minutes to get nice and hot while you pour some olive oil and freshly ground pepper into a bowl and then dip away Macaroni Grill style!)
Here's the recipe if you're interested. It comes out of one of my all time favorite cookbooks (thanks Christina, you were right, this cookbook is the best!)
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Tortellini & Fresh Basil
1 pound ripe tomatoes (seeded & chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Combine first 7 ingredients in a serving bowl. Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add tortellini to tomato mixture, and toss well. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm or chilled. Yield 4 main-dish servings.
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A few side notes:
Last time I made it I had some tomatoes from a local farmers market stand as well as a few from the store. I was shocked at how much juicier and more delicious the farmers market ones were! The picture shown above is the recipe tripled. I always at least double it (we love these leftovers!), but if we're having a lot of people over or if I'm making some for someone else, I usually triple it. Fresh basil is much easier to cut when dry, so after rinsing it, I let it dry for several minutes in paper towels before chopping. I absolutely LOVE my garlic press from Pampered Chef and use it all the time, especially for this recipe. I use Buitoni's Three Cheese Tortellini (found in the refrigerated section...usually by cheese, sometimes by dairy & eggs, sometimes by lunch meat) for this recipe. It's not super cheap, but I just bought a bunch the other day on a buy one get one free sale (you can freeze it...although I've haven't tried that yet). It is often cheaper to buy the 20-ounce packages, so I'll buy one of those instead of 2 (9-ounce), and just have a little extra pasta.
PS Sorry it took me so long Karin!
