
Music Inspiration: Lizzo (artist) “Juice” and “Truth Hurts” songs!! I love her!
Prep: 20 mins
Completion: 45 mins
Serve: 8-10
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh Cheese Tortellini
¼ pound thin-sliced Italian Salami, diced into bite-sized pieces
¼ pound Sharp Italian Provolone, sliced thin, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 Sweet Red and 1 Sweet Yellow Pepper, diced small
Cherry Tomatoes ½ pint, cut in half
Fresh Garlic minced, 2 Tbsp
Italian Dressing (bottled) or any favorite vinaigrette, ½ cup, plus additional as desired
Grated fresh Parmesan Cheese ½ cup approx.
Fresh chopped Basil 3 Tbsp
Red pepper Flakes, couple pinches or to taste (optional)
Garlic Powder 3 Tbsp or to taste
Kosher Salt & Cracked Black Pepper always to taste!
Olive Oil 2 Tbsp
Let’s Get Cooking:
Cook Tortellini according to package directions. Once al dente (not fully soft, but with a slight bite & chew), drain in a colander while also running cold water over pasta immediately to stop cooking process until pasta is cooled (approx. 30 seconds).
Then drain Tortellini completely in strainer, and drizzle 1-2 Tbsp olive oil on pasta and mix gently to prevent sticking together.
In a large bowl, add cooled Cheese Tortellini, Provolone Cheese, Salami, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes, Fresh Garlic, Fresh Basil, Parmesan Cheese, and pinch of Red Pepper flakes to taste.
Drizzle Italian salad dressing on top of ingredients a little at a time (start with ¼ cup, mix in, then add additional dressing as needed). Mix all ingredients together gently. Taste the pasta, then add Salt if needed (be careful because bottled salad dressings already have a lot of salt in them, so add additional salt sparingly). Also add cracked Black Pepper and additional Garlic Powder and Parmesan Cheese as needed for taste preferences. Taste the pasta again, adjust seasonings until it has the flavors at the levels you and your family love.
Refrigerate for 2 hours. Toss gently right before serving, and add additional salad dressing if needed.
Easy breezy!! Enjoy sweet friends!!
