White & Green Asparagus Tortelleni Salad

Ingredients:
9 oz fresh (refrigerated) cheese tortellini
3/4 lb white asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 lb asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

dressing:
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced parsley
zest of 1 lemon
salt
freshly ground black pepper



Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the tortellini. Towards the last few minutes of the cooking time, add the asparagus and peas and allow them to cook until all is tender. Drain, allow to cool at least slightly. Toss together with the onion. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the vegetables and pasta. Toss again. Serve cold or slightly warm.

My thoughts:

Asparagus continues to be readily available and delicious. This time, Matt came home with some white asparagus, which while more fussy (you have to peel it) is a tasty change of pace. It is sweeter and more tender than the green variety because it is grown without any exposure to light. Anyway! I used them both for this light, tasty and best of all, one pot side, dish. Perfect to accompany all those it is spring but not quite hot meals I've been having lately. I haven't made refrigerated tortellini very often but I really liked it in the salad, it was just as easy as regular pasta but it seemed more special somehow. I look forward to making this again!