Feeling lazy? Swap the homemade pesto dressing for a shop-bought one, no-one will know!
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Yields:
2
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
20 mins
Cal/Serv:
807
Ingredients
1 red onion, thinly sliced
300 g pack tomato and mozzarella tortelloni
75 g sun-dried tomatoes
75 g mini mozzarella balls or pearls
75 g jarred roasted peppers, drained and sliced into strips
For the dressing
30 g fresh basil, thick stalks removed, plus extra leaves to serve
2 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
40 ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice and zest 1 lemon
40 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve
30 g toasted pine nuts
Directions
Step 1Put the onion in a shallow bowl and cover with just-boiled water. For the dressing, put the basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and zest, cheese and 25g of the pine nuts in a blender and blitz until smooth. Taste, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add 1tbsp water and blitz again until smooth.
Step 2Cook pasta according to pack ingredients. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and peppers to a large bowl and coat with most of the dressing. Remove the cooked pasta using a slotted spoon and add straight to the salad bowl, tossing to combine.
Step 3Drain and pat dry the onion and add to the bowl along with the remaining dressing and stir to combine. Serve sprinkled with the remaining pine nuts, basil leaves, lemon zest, shavings of cheese and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
GET AHEAD:
Make the dressing the day before for an even speedier meal!
GH TIP:
Use your favourite type of stuffed pasta for this; ham & cheese, or even a mushroom one would work well.
Linzi joins the Good Housekeeping team as Kitchen Manager, looking after the brand-new, state-of-the art test and demo kitchens based in the heart of Leicester Square. With over a decade of experience producing food content for leading brands, she’s won awards for her recipes, battled Christmas dinners in July, and spent a lot of time pondering the next big food trend (no more pistachio, please!) Originally from the North East of Scotland, she lives in West London with her Italian husband and twin daughters, feeding them a variety of haggis and ragu - depending on the mood!
