So Many Dishes

I always appreciate when the person who develops a recipe provides variation and substitution suggestions. I used one of the suggestions offered by Becky Krystal from the Washington Post for this new recipe that I tried. It turned out really well, but I think that there’s a more appropriate title for the revised recipe.

The weather is getting downright hot here, so salad dinners are usually a good choice. I know, too, that Ken will never say no to a pasta salad, so pizza pasta salad sounded like a winner.

The pasta in the salad is cheese tortellini. I love having tortellini in our freezer; it’s a great emergency meal and very versatile. The salad also includes grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoni.

The recipe notes indicate that you can eliminate the pepperoni. That sounded fine, since neither of us is a huge pepperoni fan. According to the notes, I needed to add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to the dressing, to make up for the fat rendered from crisping the pepperoni.

I made one other change: I cut the amount of sun-dried tomatoes called for. To me, Sun-dried tomatoes can dominate a dish. I love them, but in moderation. An entire jar is not moderation.

The result was absolutely delicious, and I know that we’ll be eating this again this summer. It just seems to me that, without the pepperoni, it’s more reminiscent of caprese than pizza. That’s okay by me, as I love caprese. Honestly, it’s yummy under any name.

Pizza Pasta Salad, Caprese version

1 (19 ounce) bag frozen cheese tortellini

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus 2 tablespoons oil from jar

1 pint container grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese pearls

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon honey

Punch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Fresh torn basil leaves, for serving

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Drain.

Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, and stir to combine.

Into a small bowl, pour the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, then the olive oil. Add the vinegar, oregano, dried basil, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Whisk to form a smooth dressing.

Transfer tortellini to the large bowl. Pour the dressing over top and gently stir to combine. Serve, or cover and refrigerate until needed. When ready to serve, top with fresh basil and grated Parmesan.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

We enjoyed eating this immediately after I put it together and again the next day, when we ate the leftovers chilled, for lunch. Given how hot it is today, I wish I still had some.

Happy eating!