There is nothing more that we love in our house than a family barbecue.  I'm fortunate to live close to my siblings and my parents so the Summer weekends are often spent getting together for a cookout.  We are each responsible for a side dish, which usually means some type of salad.  One of Riley's favorite salads is my Tortellini Salad.  It is full of flavor and requires minimal ingredients.

Tortellini Salad

I start out by using a one pound bag of frozen cheese tortellini and prepare them according to the directions on the package. Remember, I said this was easy so making fresh cheese tortellini is a little out of the question right now when I'm in a time crunch.

As the tortellini is cooking I slice up a handful of sun dried tomatoes into strips. I use sun dried tomatoes in oil, which last well in the refrigerator. Here's a quick tip for you though. If the oil solidifies don't toss them, simply let the jar come to room temperature and the oil will go back to normal and the sun dried tomatoes are perfect.

Once the tortellini is cooked, add the sliced sun dried tomatoes, ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of pesto. I love this recipe because I get to use my Kale & Spinach Pesto, which I always have on hand. You can buy jarred pesto, but you'll be shocked at how easy it is to make pesto. You can use traditional pesto, which is made with basil, but I like the kale and spinach pesto because of the added nutrients. The final step is to toss all of the ingredients together and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Although we are most often in charge of the salads, my husband (aka the grill master) loves to sneak in a marinade on the main dish.  Our favorites are my Steak Bites Shish Kabobs and my Lime Tequila Shrimp Kabobs.  You can never go wrong with bite size pieces.