Tortellini salad with asparagus and fresh basil vinaigrette recipe

For a super-easy pasta salad that would impress any picnic crowd, we paired convenient store-bought cheese tortellini with crisp asparagus and a dressing inspired by the flavors of classic pesto. First, we blanched the asparagus in the same water we later used to cook the tortellini, which instilled the pasta with the asparagus’s delicate flavor. Once the tortellini were cooked, we tossed them in a bold dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, and garlic. To finish the salad, we tossed in some bright, juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, grated Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts along with the blanched asparagus just before serving. Cooking the tortellini until it is completely tender and leaving it slightly wet after rinsing are important for the texture of the finished salad.