Mediterranean Tortellini Salad - Pinecones and Acorns

Good morning! I hope that you are having a great week. It you are out West I hope that you are staying cool. I read that in Portland this week it is hotter than the desert, and a friend in Seattle said it was 103 yesterday! That has to be a record.

When it is hot I don’t like to cook so I like to eat lots of salads. Sometimes though I feel like something with a little more substance than lettuce. So this week I made this scrumptious Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

The great thing about this recipe, you can add more of what you like and subtract the things you do not like.

Mediterranean Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

1 20oz. package of cheese tortellini

2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half

1 large cucumber chopped

1/2 kalamata olives chopped

1/4 cup red onion

1 cup feta cheese

2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

salt&pepper to taste

Prepare thetortellini according to the package directions. While they are cooking add all of the other ingredients to alarge bowl and mix lightly with awooden spoon. Once thetortellini are cooked, drain in a colander and then add a drizzle of olive oil to the noodles so they do not stick together. Let cool a bit then add to the bowl of chopped ingredients. Mix gently, season withsalt andpepper and serve. You can serve warm or cold.

You can also add a viniagrette dressing to this if you like, I personally like it better without.