Dear friends, for today’s recipe I thought of a colorful pasta salad, the classic fresh and colorful summer recipe that this time… I will surprise you with special effects… dun dun dun (soft steps for suspense 😅)… I made guess what… with stuffed pasta instead of the classic pasta. Here they are all for you, my ricotta tortelli in vegetable salad. 😋

A recipe that may, perhaps, raise some doubts among purists of traditional fresh pasta, but is, I assure you, a delicious summer first course that I’ve repeated for several summers now, ever since I followed the happy suggestion of my dear friend Rossana (💝) and it then became a summer recipe in my house because we like it so much and it suits us perfectly.

It’s a perfect summer recipe because it cooks in no time, so there’s little heat in the kitchen, it’s super versatile because it’s both a first course and a main dish suitable for many different occasions: lunch to take to the office, the next day’s meal to prepare quickly in the evening, dinner in the garden or cold buffet with friends, lunch on the beach, or packed lunch, or picnic, or… come on, you suggest other occasions to extend this list!

And then, let’s face it, it’s one of those taste experiments that we lovers of fusion cooking, creative cooking, improvisational cooking (yes, especially improv!), can certainly not miss! 😃

So today these ricotta tortelli in salad are for me the right recipe for the weekly Light and Tasty column, today dedicated to ‘the colors of summer’. It’s a multi-colored recipe that also has the sun-yellow color of fresh pasta, so it really represents summer, doesn’t it? 🌞

Enjoy!

👇 Below you will find more colorful ideas + another nice way to use stuffed pasta. 👇

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 2
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer

Ingredients

9 oz ricotta and spinach tortelli (or ravioli)
mixed vegetables to taste (I used tomatoes, carrots, peas, corn, and Tropea onion)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Tools

Pot
Salad Bowl

Steps

First, prepare the vegetables.
👉 For the quantity of vegetables I went a bit by eye, you know, sometimes you can be a little imprecise. 😊
Cut the vegetables into pieces and season them with the oil and, if you like, with herbs such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, parsley.
You can choose your favorite vegetables or simply those you have at home, like for any pasta salad or rice fridge-cleaning recipe worth its name.
For today’s recipe, as specified in the ingredient list, I used: tomatoes, carrots, Tropea onion, corn, and peas (frozen, cooked for 5 minutes in the microwave).
Instead, the very first time I tried this recipe I used the mixed vegetables in the following photo, that is: tomatoes, raw zucchini, peas (canned), black olives, almonds, a small clove of garlic, and oregano.
So feel free to experiment with the combinations you prefer. 😉
Cook the tortelli in boiling water for a few minutes, usually fresh pasta requires no more than 4-5 minutes of cooking.
👉 I have always used tortelli, or tortelloni, or ravioli, filled with ricotta (and spinach, and beets, and parsley, sometimes with potatoes), never tortellini or cappelletti with meat filling, in my opinion less suitable for a cold summer recipe like this one.
Drain the tortelli, place them in the vegetable bowl, mix gently, adjust with oil if necessary.
Serve immediately if you prefer at room temperature, or put in the fridge to refresh (for half an hour) or to cool (for a couple of hours).
We prefer the just fresh version. Let me know which way you like it best! 😃
Bon appétit!!

Salt-free Tips

Without salt As always, I did not add salt in this recipe. Essential, as for all low-sodium pasta or rice salads, is the presence of either the onion or the minced clove of garlic. Tropea onions are fabulous this season, don’t miss them, you absolutely must use them in all salads, including these excellent ricotta tortelli in salad.

And among the following tips, which might suit this recipe? Well, I would try adding a zest of lemon! 😉

If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually reduce the salt, the palate must get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally indulge in a break from the rule. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.

If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.