Take your next backyard barbecue, picnic or potluck to the next level with this hearty pasta salad, made with a combination of veggies, beans and our Cheese Tortellini. The secret? A kick of Armanino Creamy Garlic Sauce in the dressing.
Ingredients
Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Armanino Creamy Garlic Sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad
8oz green beans, stems removed
1lb Armanino Cheese Tortellini
1 15.5oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup diced red onion
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced red pepper
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Directions
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to combine. Set aside to let the flavors blend while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the stemmed green beans into roughly 2” lengths.
Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water for 4 minutes; drain and immediately plunge into ice water to cool.
Once cold, drain well and spread on a kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels to dry completely.
Cook the tortellini in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain, rinse in cold water then spread on a sheet pan to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine all three beans, red onion, red pepper, celery and parsley.
Pour dressing over to coat and stir to combine. If you have time, let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
Add the cooled tortellini to the bowl and gently stir to combine. Can be made several hours ahead and chilled. If making a few days ahead, combine all the ingredients and refrigerate but hold off adding the tortellini until an hour or two before serving.
Chef’s Tips
Mix up the beans to use your favorites or whatever you have in the pantry. Red beans, kidney, black they all work as do yellow wax beans in place of the green beans.
Traditional three bean salad usually uses a very sweet dressing. If that’s your preference, double the sugar in the dressing.
