Tortellini Pasta Salad

I'm always on the lookout for easy, yet delicious lunches.
Especially ones I can make a big batch of and eat throughout the week.
So when I ran across this recipe, I KNEW I'd be making it soon!
And as usual, I'd be modifying it just a tad.

I've always loved a good pasta salad,
but I honestly never thought to use tortellini!
And boy, was I glad I tried it.
It is so so SO good!!!

And the best part?
It's incredibly easy to make too!
Just take a look below at how easy it really is.

The Goods:

1 Family Size Cheese Tortellini Pasta

1/2 Cup Italian Dressing - store bought or homemade

About 1 Cup Turkey Pepperoni, cut into quarters

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Pint Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

1/2 Cup or so Black Olives, halved

1/2 Cup or so Green Olives, halved

3/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook your pasta, drain and set aside to cool.

Chop your bell pepper, olives and pepperoni.

Grate your Parmesan Cheese.

Combine EVERYTHING in one big bowl.

Mix, taste and adjust salt, pepper and dressing if needed.

And now...

DIG IN!!!

I will 100% be making this for lunches again soon!

Robyn Recreates Olive Garden Favorites

Yup, you read that right!!
I have recreated not one, but TWO Olive Garden dishes that are favorites to many!

While I haven't had Olive Garden in years, I still remember what their signature salad tastes like. I used to go there just because of their amazing salad and breadsticks.

The salad was all about the dressing and I think I got pretty darn close to the real thing. I was reassured when a girlfriend I had over that night agreed that it was pretty spot on! 

Sadly, their breadsticks wasn't something I made - I haven't taken that on yet!
(Who knows, maybe soon?)

The second Olive Garden knock off I made is something I made twice in one week and just couldn't get enough. I made Zuppa Toscana Monday night and again on Friday, which was perfect for the cold evenings we've been having.

And the finished product...

So, so, SO good!!!

Since I didn't make breadsticks, I did the next best thing and made savory monkey bread muffins. They were amazing and not a single one was leftover!!!

Pasta Salad Like Mom's

When I was growing up, my mom made a pasta salad that was so amazing, yet so simple. I loved it then and I'm sure I'd love it now. No matter how many times I've tried to recreate it, it's never come out exactly the same. Since I'm not able to recreate her recipe exactly - I've modified it a bit and made it my own.

Every time I make MY pasta salad, it comes out a bit different. It really depends on what I have and trying to use up, or what I'm craving at the time. The one thing that is constant is the fact that I use spiral, usually Rotini, pasta. More recently, I've started using the whole wheat kinds and like it just as much as the regular not so great for you pasta. :)

Here's a look at how I made my most recent batch of pasta salad. Note: this makes a VERY large batch, so be prepared to share or eat it for days! 

The Goods:

Rotini, Asparagus, Green Pepper, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Red Onion, 

Green Olives, Black Olives, Feta, Lemon Juice, Italian Dressing, Salt and Pepper

(This can be modified very easily. Use whatever vegetables you want, 

but blanch raw ones that would be too hard like Asparagus and Broccoli)

Cut Up Veggies!

Veggies covered in cooked, cooled pasta!

With a little bit of Feta thrown on top.

Lemon squeezed on top, followed by Italian Dressing and then mixed!

Ready for consumption. Oh yum!