Texas Tortellini Salad

Submitted by LizP5885

"This is my favorite pasta salad. I love bringing it to cookouts and potlucks, because it isn't the same old salad and everyone loves it and it disappears. Try it with regular pasta, as well! If I don't have white vinegar, I use cider vinegar and it is fine. The original recipe used white wine vinegar, but I rarely have that in the house, so I changed the recipe to suit my pantry. If you have white wine vinegar, feel free to try it with that. I hope you love it as much as I do and bring it to your summer celebrations!"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 lb cheese tortellini
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3⁄4 cup white vinegar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash Tabasco sauce, to taste
• 1 cup green pepper, diced
• 1 cup red onion, diced
• 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 6 tablespoons picante sauce
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

directions

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Cool.
2. In a blender or food processor, blend together olive oil, white vinegar, black pepper, garlic, chili powder, dry mustard, paprika, cumin and salt.
3. Toss vegetables, pasta, picante sauce and cheese together. Pour dressing over the top and mix well.
4. Chill several hours or even overnight.