Roasted Vegetable Tortellini

We had a family BBQ at Spring Mountain Ranch this weekend.  It's a beautiful place with a huge grassy field, trees all around, and beautiful scenery.  It seems like you're far from Las Vegas because it's just beautiful, so naturally, it's packed on the weekends.  Well, my not-so-athletic 8 year old daughter went out to throw a frisbee around in the grass.  She was trying to throw it into the middle of the field, but she threw it toward the next group of picnic-ers.  The frisbee barely missed a kid and rolled on the ground right underneath some poor Mexican lady's chair.  It nearly scared her to death.  My embarrassed daughter went over and got it with her tail between her legs.  Then, she was trying to fly a little remote controlled helicopter, and it b-lined right to that lady's head.  Luckily, it fell short by a couple feet. We were laughing so hard.  I have a feeling that she may not have a career in athletics or aeronautics.

When I actually had time to make lunch one day last week, I knew I had tortellini and asparagus on hand.  I googled a recipe for those ingredients, and I found this one a couple pages in.  I did modify it a bit by adding red pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta.  You could add any other vegetables you'd like, but I think this combination is amazing.  I've made this two times since because it is so quick and delicious.


Roasted Vegetable Tortellini
recipe and photo source: http://jamiecooksitup.net/2012/02/roasted-tomato-and-asparagus-tortellini/

2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 lb. fresh asparagus,
1/4 red onion, cut into slices
1/2 red pepper, cut into 2 inch strips
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
24 oz. tortellini
1 c chopped spinach
1 T lemon juice
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c. feta cheese
1/4 c. Kalamata olives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the bottom of a rimmed cookie sheet with foil.

Cut off the bottom inch of the asparagus.  Throw that away, and cut the remaining asparagus into two inch chunks.  Place them on the cookie sheet with the diced tomatoes, red onion slices, red pepper strips, and garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  Roast this in the heated oven for 15-20 minutes.

While that is cooking, boil water and cook the tortellini according to package directions.  Drain.

Place the chopped spinach in a large serving bowl.  Put the warm tortellini on top.  Do not mix yet.  Add the vegetables on top.  Add the lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, fets cheese, and kalamata olives.  Mix well.

Serve.

It's also delicious to eat cold as leftovers.