Creamy Garlic Pasta Salad

After spending the afternoon baking the Hummingbird cake with my good friend, RC. I then had to make dinner because The Other Williams was out of town for the weekend. I'm not normally the cook but this recipe was really so easy that even I could pull it off.

This pasta salad would be great for a picnic or camping trip also. It's good warm, room temp, or cold. I added what I had on hand so the veggies are totally interchangeable with whatever you prefer. We use the Creamy Garlic Dressing that I posted about previously and it gives the pasta great flavor and a light creamy sauce.

Creamy Garlic Pasta Salad
Serves 4

Salad:
1 large package of fresh cheese tortellini
1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 small can of olives, sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 small can mushrooms
Olive Oil
1/4 cup water
Salt & Pepper

Creamy Garlic Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 olive oil

Prepare Dressing:
Add everything except oil to your blender or food processor. Turn machine on and drizzle both oils SLOWLY into the blender/processor. This makes a little more than you probably need for the pasta salad but refrigerate the leftover for up to 5 days and add to other salads.

Salad:
Bring pot of salted water in a boil and add tortellini, only cook to al dente about 4-6 min. Strain when done and run cold water over it to stop cooking.

Add a swirl of olive oil to large saute pan. Once its warm add water, broccoli, olives, & mushrooms. You just want to steam everything a little for maybe 5 min. Strain out any leftover water.

Then add tortellini and dressing and warm while cooking over low-med heat until warmed through. Remove from stove, add tomatoes, salt, & pepper and serve warm or cold.