Easy Cheesy Tortellini

1 pound store bought cheese tortellini
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup plus more for topping, grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil

 Cook Tortellini according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. In pot simmer pasta, cream and zest, stirring. Off heat, stir in tomatoes, cheese and basil. Toss, adding pasta water as needed to thin sauce.
Top with additional Parmesan cheese (optional)

I get the cheese and spinach tortellini that is in a bag in the dry pasta section.  This is a quick and easy meal!

Broccoli Salad

8 slices bacon
2 heads fresh broccoli chopped and steamed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Place bacon in large, deep skillet. Cook over medium- high heat until cooked. Drain and crumble.
In a large bowl combine broccoli, cheddar, onion and bacon. Prepare dressing in a small bowl whisking together red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayo and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad. Cover and refrigerate up to two hours and serve.

To make this easier, I use pre-cooked bacon and frozen broccoli florets I steamed in the microwave. The original recipe did not have the broccoli cooked but the broccoli was too hard to eat especially for little ones. This is a great pot luck dish and is even better as leftovers!

Enlightened Pasta Salad

10 oz short multi-grain pasta (rigatoni or penne)
1/2 cup lightly packed whole fresh basil leaves, plus 1/4 cup torn basil leaves
1/3 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic
2 cups grape tomatoes halved lengthwise
1 orange bell pepper cut into 1/4 inch pieces about 1 cup
1/3 cup halved pimiento-stuff green olives ( I used a mixture of green and Kalamata)
Salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to serving bowl. In food processor puree the whole basil leaves, yogurt, mayonnaise, cheese, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour the mixture over the pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes, bell pepper, olives and torn basil. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently. We like cheese so we garnish with a little more Parmesan.



Recipe from July/August Rachael Ray Magazine