summer tortellini pesto salad

By gwen -
From the Wegmans magazine. I love Wegmans tomato pesto sauce -- which is one of the suggested variations, and which is sort of creamier but has less fat than regular pesto -- but it's kind of hard to go wrong with something like this. And this is one of those recipes where you basically roast/grill any veggies you happen to have on hand; the more variety, the better.

Hard to say exactly how many WW points per serving since I have no idea how big a serving is with all the extra veggies, but I'm going to use 6 points for a cup that has about eight raviolis in it.

1 pkg (20 oz) Italian Classics Six Cheese Tortellini [I used the dried spinach and cheese tortellini the first time; refrigerated whole wheat ricotta and spinach ravioli the second time]
1 red sweet pepper, cored, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) [and green! and yellow.]
1 red onion, peeled, thinly cut (about 3/4 cup) [or Vidalia]
1 small bunch (about 1/2 lb) asparagus, trimmed, cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 pkg (1 pint) grape tomatoes, halved [more is more, as they say. use more.]
[I added some leftover mushrooms and sauteed some spinach, too]
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil, divided [I used regular olive oil]
1 zucchini, trimmed, 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp pine nuts [I skipped, but I'm sure they're good]
1 pkg (7 oz) Italian Classics Basil Pesto Sauce (Dairy Dept) [or the homemade stuff, or the tomato pesto] [also, you only need about half the jar of pesto... probably about 1/4 c?]
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce [I just used red pepper flakes]
15 leaves basil, finely sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

  1. Cook pasta per pkg directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
  2. Season pepper, onions, and asparagus with salt and pepper; toss with 1 Tbsp basting oil. Transfer to baking sheet; arrange in single layer. Roast 10-12 min; turn halfway thru cooking time. Remove mixture from baking sheet; set aside.
  3. Season zucchini with salt and pepper; toss with remaining 1 Tbsp basting oil. Transfer to baking sheet; arrange in single layer. Roast 5-7 min, until tender but not browned. Remove from oven. Add to pepper mix; chill 1 hour.
  4. Toast pine nuts in small pan on MEDIUM, 3 min, stirring, until they are slightly toasted (watch carefully). Remove from pan; set aside.
  5. Add tomatoes, pesto, Tabasco sauce, basil, pine nuts, and veggie mix to tortellini in a large bowl; gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chilled.

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