Greek Spinach Tortellini Salad
Try this Greek Spinach Tortellini Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Greek Spinach Tortellini Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1 (5 ounce) package fresh baby spinach
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) snipped
- 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh lemon thyme or thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- 9 ounces fresh cheese-filled tortellini pasta
- shaved parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
- Carbohydrate 5.08793512214716 g
- Cholesterol 16.8207170393333 mg
- Fat 6.22359567712 g
- Fiber 0.716821890986413 g
- Protein 3.22700669670066 g
- Saturated Fat 3.14027244001733 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (105g)
- Sodium 212.872420614072 mg
- Sugar 4.37111323116075 g
- Trans Fat 0.283077887063333 g
- Calories 87 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large serving bowl combine spinach, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, lemon peel and juice, oil, oregano, dill, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Cover; let stand at room temperature while preparing pasta or up to 2 hours; stirring occasionally.
- Shortly before serving, ...[GET FULL RECIPE HERE]
Tender rings of cheese tortellini mingle with crisp baby spinach, yielding a textural contrast of soft pasta and vibrant leaves enveloped in a bright citrus dressing. Temperature management dictates the final structure of this dish. Boiling the tortellini requires a rolling boil with ten grams of salt per liter of water to properly gelatinize the exterior starches without turning the pasta interior mushy. Draining the pasta and immediately tossing it with the olive oil and lemon juice creates a stable emulsion where the fat coats the warm exterior, preventing the individual pieces from sticking together into a dense mass while allowing the porous pasta to absorb the aromatic garlic and herbs. When combining the elements, allowing the raw spinach to sit with the lemon juice for twenty minutes initiates acid maceration, breaking down the tough cellular walls of the greens just enough to soften them without destroying their bright color. The resulting salad balances the rich, brined notes of crumbled feta with the sharp pungency of raw green onions and fresh herbs, relying on accurate timing to maintain distinct textures across every component.
