I think I’ve found my ideal pasta dish. I’m not the biggest fan of cream or tomato sauces with my pasta, so this was a refreshing change of pace from our standard pasta recipes.

In case you didn’t already know, I love cheese. I think cheese makes just about everything better, except maybe chocolate. James accuses me of “cheesing everything up” and usually declines when I try to add cheese to his eggs, salad, pasta…you get the picture. Anyway, cheese tortellini is perfect for me considering my cheese obsession so I knew that this recipe would be right up my alley.

I had to modify the recipe a bit, so this is the adapted version. I added bacon for James’ sake and had to use dried basil instead of fresh because my basil was looking a little droopy and sad. Also, I omitted the pine nuts, mainly because I was too cheap to spend nearly $8 on a bag at Trader Joe’s. Does anyone know where I can get them cheaper? Please help!

Tortellini with Tomatoes & Arugula (serves 2)
Ingredients:

9 oz fresh cheese tortellini (not frozen)
3 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried basil (or a Tablespoon of fresh basil, shredded)
1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved if desired
1 1/2 cups of arugula
Parmesan cheese, for topping
2 strips of bacon, chopped (optional)

Start by boiling a pot of salted water. Add tortellini and cook under tender, about 7-10 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, basil and garlic in a bowl large enough to fit the entire dish. Once tortellini is cooked, drain and add to the bowl of dressing. Add tomatoes to the bowl and carefully toss until tortellini and tomatoes are evenly coated. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

After the tortellini and tomatoes have marinated for 15 minutes, add arugula, bacon and Parmasen cheese to the bowl. Toss well and serve immediately.

Adapted from The Best 30-minute Recipe (Cooks Illustrated)