Tortellini Antipasto Salad

It’s time for this month’s Food ‘n Flix!  In this club, anyone with a blog and watch the selected movie, cook up something seen in or inspired by the film, and them submit it (click that link for all the details!)  This month movie is the Italian flick, I am Love, hosted by Evelyne at CulturEatz.

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I’m not going to lie, I didn’t love this movie – I didn’t even like it very much.  I found it hard to follow, a bit confusing (particularly the ending), and just plain weird.  I even put the computer down, so I could focus on the subtitles, and I still had trouble following everything!  Now I’ll be honest – I nearly always hate movies that glamourize (that moment you realize that you've been reading so many British books that you add an extra 'u' into words, but just leave it) extramarital affairs and that’s pretty much the entire plot of this movie.  And yet, even after all of Ella’s antics reap havoc on her family, she still carries on.  I just don’t get it.  Ugh.

Anyhow, though I wasn’t feeling the love, I did see lots of food inspiration.  There was plenty of Italian food (think beautiful bread and cheese plates), some cakes, and then quite a lot of fusion cuisine.  Even several Russian dishes made an appearance.  I also had squash blossoms written down, but for the life of me I can’t remember where they appeared.  I’ve never cooked with squash blossoms, but I’m intrigued and that’s really what I wanted my dish to feature.  However, I live way far North in the US and our growing season has only just begun, so my squashes are all babies that aren’t even thinking of blossoming yet (look for a second recipe for this film near the end of the month if my squashes blossom in the next few weeks!)

So I decided to take a twist on an Americanized Italian favorite: Antipasto Salad.  Only I decided to make it a pasta salad instead of lettuce.

Okay – quick story.  I made this salad early in the day.  Then I put a not entirely defrosted whole chicken (apparently it was amateur hour) in the oven just before we went to Saturday evening church, so we could have a lovely chicken dinner with a yummy pasta salad.  Then we came home and hour and a half later (we have a bit of a drive to get to church) and the chicken was nowhere near done!  Thank goodness for a very hearty side salad that suddenly became our main dish!

That’s right, Tortellini Antipasto Salad was served alongside spinach salads and that was dinner!  I actually mixed my spinach right in and wished I had added spinach to the salad, making it a one dish meal.

At any rate, the movie was inspiring for the foodie, but not for the person seeking love.  I can’t wait to see what everyone else whips up!

Tortellini Antipasto Salad

1 (38 oz) package tri color tortellini

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup mini pepperoni

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp Kalamata olives

2 tbsp green olives with pimento

3 slices ham, rolled and sliced

3 pepperoncini (mild) or sport peppers (spicy)

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp fresh chives, chopped

1 (5 oz) bag fresh baby spinach, optional

                  

Cook the tortellini according to package instructions.  Drain and run under cold water to cool.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar.  Add the vinegar mixture and all remaining ingredients to the tortellini and stir to mix.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.  Stir in baby spinach just before serving, if desired.

Want more?  Here’s are some other main dish worthy pasta salads!

Summer Pasta Salad

Tortellini Spinach Salad

Balsamic Pasta Salad

Balsamic Tortellini Salad