Warm Tortellini and Cherry Tomato Salad

I made this for Doug & I last night. He said that I should make it more often. And took the leftovers to work for lunch. I'm sure it tastes good cold, too.

From Cooking Light (Noone tell them that I share these! I think they want you to buy the magazines!)


Extravirgin olive oil and two kinds of vinegar make an easy, classic dressing for this pasta-and-vegetable salad. You can also try this with chicken or mushroom tortellini or cheese ravioli.

2 (9-ounce) packages fresh cheese tortellini
1 1/2 cups (1 1/2-inch-long) slices fresh asparagus (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups trimmed arugula
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup (3 ounces) pregrated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus to pasta during last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain.
While pasta cooks, combine vinegars, oil, and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pasta mixture, arugula, and remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 403(26% from fat); FAT 11.6g(sat 5.7g,mono 4.4g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 21.7g; CHOLESTEROL 50mg; CALCIUM 415mg; SODIUM 725mg; FIBER 7.9g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 52.4g


Notes: The only place I could find the arugula was in the organic veggies. Costly stuff. Can't wait for the Farmer's Market this summer. I used the DiGiorno pasta. And I made a half batch. Good stuff. Enjoy.