tortellini pasta salad w/ ground mustard & garlic vinaigrette

Today for lunch I wanted to make a pasta salad with tortellini and a basil pesto sauce, but we didn't have enough basil and the store didn't have any. So I did what I do best and looked up some blogs for some ideas. I decided to use this recipe from Our Best Bites for a ground mustard and garlic vinaigrette. I did red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, dijon mustard instead of course grain mustard, and extra virgin olive oil instead of canola oil. It turned out pretty good, but I did think it was a little too citrusy. Oh, and I also added some sundried tomatoes. I got some pretty good feedback on it, but again - not my very favorite.

Now for the recipe. I used tri-colored tortellini. I am cooking for a big crowd, so I used about 20 pounds of pasta. Cook the pasta by the directions on the package, then let it cool down. Then I added some grape tomatoes and olives. Of course you can add any veggies you have on hand and they would taste just as great! Then the dressing (which I quadrupled)..

Ground Mustard and Garlic Vinaigrette

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar; try to avoid plain white vinegar because it's too strong here

2 green onions, firm parts only, trimmed of the white "furry" ends

4-5 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. sugar or honey

2 Tbsp. coarse grain mustard (or Dijon, but Dijon has a very distinct, mustard-y aftertaste that some of my tasters weren't crazy about)
1 c. canola oil

In the jar of your blender, combine all the ingredients except for the oil. Blend on high. While the blender is running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. Serve over mixed greens, sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced red onions, or stay tuned for next Monday's recipe! If possible, refrigerate the dressing for a few hours before serving.

Pour dressing over your pasta and veggies and then toss all the ingredients together and that's it!! Enjoy!

-alyssa*