The more years we do this party thing, the smarter I am getting about ONLY serving food that is hostess-friendly. No more chopping all the ingredients for fresh, homemade salsa for 40 people....no more last minute giant batches of guacamole. Who has time for that in the last remaining minutes before the party starts!? Everything I made this year can be prepared in advance, pulled out at the last minute, and left out for a while without the danger of spoilage.
One of my favorites of the day? This Pesto Tortellini Salad with pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, and Parmesan cheese. Plenty of bold flavors that work well together....and a variety of textures so you don't get bored! Not that you would get bored when you're eating it at a party, but that's beside the point.
Pesto Tortellini Salad
2 packages (19 oz. each) frozen cheese tortellini
¾ c. sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ c. red onion, chopped
½ c. prepared pesto (or more to taste)
1 c. fresh shaved parmesan cheese
1. Prepare tortellini according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Serve at room temperature.
ITheeCook
This looks delish! I love tortellini salads.
LuluG
That looks so tasty and I love that deep blue bowl, very mediterranean.
Louisa @ My Family & Abruzzo
Julie Evink
Oh love this! I wish my hubby would eat more things like this 🙂
Jessica @ Barefoot by the Sea
What I love about your recipes is that they are for normal people. Nothing crazy, not a billion ingredients, just simple things that a regular girl like me can do! This salad looks delicious and something I can actually pull off. Bravo Hostess with the Mostess! Can't wait to see what else you served! Oh and um, I would be one to attempt homeade salsa for 40 only to realize it's hotter than anything and have to run to the store for reinforcements. Yup!
Jessica @ Barefoot by the Sea
Making this weekend! yay!
Colleen Bierstine
Girl, you literally put all my favorite ingredients in one place! Tortellini, pesto, pine nuts, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes...sounds like pure heaven.
Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made
I am SO making this! I just happen to have all the ingredients!
Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.com
This really does look delicious and, as you said, it's such a nice blend of textures, flavors and colors. I love tortellini, so look forward to making this.
Maria
What a great looking pasta salad!!! All the flavors and ingredients sound delicious, it looks wonderful!
Julie Corbisiero
Hi, this recipe looks so good and I can't wait to try it! I saw it on craft-o-maniac.
Julie from julieslifestyle.blogspot.com
Jeni IGOTTHISMARTHA
This looks fab! I love any kind of pasta salad!
Cynthia Landrie
I love tortellini but never thought to make a salad from them. This looks great! Thank you for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen party. I am always glad to see you there!
I am pinning and sharing on Facebook!
Trish - Mom On Timeout
I love anything with pesto and sundried tomatoes Cathy! Pinned and featuring tomorrow 🙂
Shauna Smart
I've been looking for a pesto recipe to make and I think my family would LOVE this recipe! Thanks for linking up to The Weekend re-Treat Link Party on The Best Blog Recipes!
Wanted to stop by and Pin your post to my Link Party Recipes/Crafts board while I was here tonight!
Shauna
http://thebestblogrecipes.com/
cooking with curls
Hi Cathy, I wanted to let you know that I am featuring your awesome salad tonight at Best of the Weekend! I still can't get over how delicious it looks 🙂
Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper
Pesto and sundried tomatoes ensure that I will be making this ASAP! 🙂
Desiree @The36thAvenue
Yum! Pinning 🙂
Jenny
Mmmmm this looks fantastic. The recipe doesn't say how many pine nuts to put in. Also, do you toast them first?