Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad

1 lb. Italian sausage links
1 lb. cheese-filled tortellini
2 large, very ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 sm. red onion, diced
1 cup pitted, sliced kalamata, greek or black olives
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, sliced (optional)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/4 lemon, juice of
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Grill italian sausages over a hot grill until cooked through. Remove to cool, slice and pour into large salad bowl.

While waiting for the sausage to grill, set a stockpot of water to boil, add pasta when at full boil and cook until al dente (do not overcook). Drain the pasta and rinse quickly with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Add pasta to the bowl, along with the tomatoes, onion, olives, and artichoke hearts; toss thoroughly. Pour oil over pasta slowly, tossing periodically to coat everything evenly. Toss chopped herbs and cheese with pasta until well combined. Sprinkle lemon juice and peppers and toss again. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Let come back to room temperature before serving, test to see if it requires more oil or lemon before setting out.

Comments from Michael Harryman :

Serve with a green salad and crunchy bread on a hot day. Also makes an excellent partner for a gazpacho side. Wonderful with a slightly chilled chianti.

User Reviews:

I made this exactly as the recipe read . It was good but I think the italian sausage just doesn't work . That was the opinion of the others that ate it. I will use it again but either leave out the sausage or substitute genoa salami.

submitted by fateefa on December 06, 2007

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