Around here, summertime cooking tends to be very different than school year cooking. The kids have swim team practice most days until 6:15 pm, and the time I have to get dinner ready and feed the family is even shorter than when they’re in school. Not to mention the fact that the afternoon and early evening are the hottest times in the kitchen, where we have the full late-day sun shinning through the window and sliding glass door. Who wants to heat up the kitchen even more than you have to?
I kept seeing this pasta salad (or something similar) around Pinterest – apparently, Pinterest thought I really needed to give this one a try. I decided to give it my own spin, using cheese tortellini instead of macaroni pasta and cubed pepper jack cheese instead of feta cheese. I loved how it turned out!
Because this Mexican Tortellini salad is served cold, I was able to leave it in the fridge and eat it for lunch for the next few days. That’s precisely what I need on hot and hectic summer days.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package cheese tortellini
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained
- 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (I like to be generous)
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup light sour cream
- ¼ cup light mayonnaise
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. When tortellini is mostly dry, add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add drained beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, green onions, red onion and cilantro to the bowl with the tortellini. Toss gently.
- In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the pasta mixture.
- Stir together until evenly coated, adding the cubed cheese at the end.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. Best when eaten within 2 days.
- Serves 8-12 people.
I don’t know…this may be the perfect salad to take to this weekend’s BBQs and picnics…
Have you made anything lately that was inspired by Pinterest? I love finding ideas there!
*Adapted from this recipe on The Recipe Critic.
For more fun Pinterest remakes, visit a few of my favorite bloggers:
- Healthy Banana Coffee Frozen Frappe from Confessions of an Overworked Mom
- Ranch Baked Zucchini Recipe from A Mom’s Take
- Tropical Strawberry Lemonade Summer Drink Recipe for Kids from Our Family World
- Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad from Mom Always Finds Out
- Baked Mini Coffee Doughnuts with Cocoa Glaze from Sweep Tight
- Peppermint Sugar Scrub from Upstate Ramblings
- Maple Pecan Ice Cream from LW Vogue
- Fresh Summer Melon Smoothie from How Was Your Day?
- Floating Pool Noodle Toy Bin from Homemaking Hacks
© 2015, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
This sounds like a delicious twist on the pasta salad. I bet it’s really flavorful!
I love the Italian tortellini with the Mexican twist! Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we love partying with you! Hope to see you next Friday. :)
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
YUM – that looks amazing, and easy to make! :) Pinning it!
This looks delicious!! Thanks for sharing at our Living With Style Linky Party#2! Join us again next week! ~Dianne@scrutinizingLife.com
I love tortellini salads and this one with a Mexican flair definitely sounds like one I want to try.
Looks tasty! This would be perfect for taking on a picnic this summer.
That sounds like a great addition! I might try it next time.
It was really tasty! My typical problem with pasta salads is that they can be kind of bland, but the tortellini starts off with flavor already. I loved it.
I haven’t had luck with pasta salads in the past but this looks good enough to try :)
I love tortellini, but I never thought to make it into a Mexican Pasta Salad. Love the dressing idea. Some crushed up tortilla chips on top would add a nice touch.
I want to make this awesome Mexican Tortellini Salad. I love that it has good flavoring and it is easy to make. I have some tortellini in my refrigerator and I was wondering how to make it. This looks delicious.
I have never had a pasta salad using tortellini but this looks really good.
I just love Mexican pasta salads, so I will have to try this very soon!
Thanks! I love tortellini, too…and I really enjoyed this cold salad version of it (I typically eat it hot).
Oh my that looks good! I absolutely love tortellini and this sounds just perfect for our picnic!
I’m pretty much always on a black bean kick. I add them to lots of things! :)
Oh yum!!! I have been on a black beans kick, so this sounds extra good to me right now. Looks amazing!!!