BLT Tortellini Pasta Salad

We love a good pasta salad and this is just one of many we love. It is super easy to make and it is so delicious. I usually double the sauce in this recipe because we love this dish extra saucy… but you can keep it as is if you prefer.

Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack of tortellini pasta (any flavor)
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes- halved
4-5 slices of bacon- cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella (diced) or mozzarella pearls

SAUCE:
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp or 1 pkg of ranch powder
1-2 to 1 tsp dried dill
salt and pepper – to taste
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp hot sauce
1 clove garlic – minced
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt, about 1 to 2 tbsp and stir to melt. Add the pasta and cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. You can cook your bacon at this point. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate or bowl.
2. In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and whisk until creamy and smooth.
3. To a large bowl add the pasta, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and mozzarella. Add enough of the sauce to coat to your liking. Add more if needed. Stir or toss to combine well.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning. At this point, you can chill covered in the fridge or eat this at room temp.

• You can sub out the romaine lettuce for spinach if you prefer. It is a great substitute and makes it equally as delicious.
• If you do not want to make your own sauce then you can go the easy route and buy a bottle of the premade stuff that you like and add it. I think the sauce is delicious and prefer it over the bottled stuff. To each their own. If you were to buy the premade ranch, I would recommend “Ken’s Steakhouse Ranch”.