tortellini salad with cranberries, pecans, and feta

When the weather starts to turn warmer, I find myself craving lighter foods.  Heavy casseroles and hearty soups don’t sound too appealing, but this girl is not satisfied with a wimpy salad!  I love the addition of fruit and nuts, but have never thought to add something like tortellini to my salads.  When I saw this recipe at pickycook’s blog, I immediately knew I wanted to make it.  The combination of the crunchy pecans, creamy feta cheese, sweet cranberries, crunchy romaine, and chewy tortellini works so well together!  The balsamic vinaigrette adds a nice kick to the dish, and I think it would also go well with a fruity vinaigrette as well.


I ate this salad as a main dish rounded out with baked chicken, but it would also be a great hearty side dish or a delicious addition to a spring potluck.  The proportions of ingredients can be played around with and all of my measurements are approximations.

Tortellini Salad with Cranberries, Pecans, and Feta
from pickycook


1 package organic romaine lettuce
2 cups frozen tri-colored cheese tortellini
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries


Balsamic Vinaigrette
adapted from pickycook


3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
5 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients except olive oil.  Slowly add in olive oil, while whisking.  Add to salad and toss to combine.  I found this to be a lot of dressing, so add a little bit at a time until the salad has your desired amount of dressing.

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