Tortellini Salmon Salad

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As I walk walking through the grocery store, a silly package of four cheese tortellini had me digging deep into my memory to recreate a recipe for Tortellini Salmon Salad that I had made over 25 years ago. Does that ever happen to you?

The original name for that salmon with tortellini salad is still a little fuzzy, but I knew that it had cheese tortellini, canned salmon, and Italian dressing….and some sort of vegetable.

I often wonder if anyone is watching me as I walk around the grocery store, around and around in circles creating recipes in my cart as I go.

On my third trip to the produce section, I decided to go with broccoli and tomatoes. I think the original was just broccoli, but I thought the added color would be nice.

This is the PERFECT summer meal…no oven required!! It’s light, but still filling and super simple to prepare.

Kristy’s 30-Minute Ground Beef and Tortellini Skillet is another delicious summer option sure to please pasta and cheese lover’s!

How to make Tortellini Salmon Salad:

While the tortellini is cooking (about 7 minutes, check your package), drain your canned salmon and dump it out onto a paper towel.

Talk about memories!!! I remember my parents deboning canned salmon on Sunday morning for Lox and Bagels.

Okay, so you are going to go through the salmon with your fingers and pick out all of the bones. There are little tiny ones like the upper right arrow – there are longer skinny bones in the center – and the circles on the left are the spine. If there is any skin or excess fat, go ahead and remove that as well.

Place broccoli, tomatoes, and tortellini in a large bowl.

Drizzle with Italian dressing, and stir to combine.

Add the salmon and Parmesan cheese, gently toss to combine.

Chill salmon with tortellini salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.

And the verdict is….it takes exactly the way I remembered it!! I know that I made this at least once while the kids were growing up, but I’m pretty sure that neither one will remember it – at all.

This simple tortellini salad recipe pairs well with a side of Irish brown soda bread or garlic bread and a nice glass of pinot noir.

Expert Tips

• Thirty minutes is the minimum, you can chill this salad overnight if needed.
• You can make your own Italian Dressing, or buy your favorite at the store.
• My can of salmon was actually 7.5 ounces, but it looked bigger than previous cans – it’s not that important, just grab a can.
• Store leftover salad in the refrigerator for 1-2 days in an airtight container.
• I left my broccoli raw 1) because I was being lazy. 2) I like the crunch of the broccoli with the squishy tortellini. If you kids don’t like raw broccoli, lightly cooked will work as well.
• Substitute shredded chicken or cooked shrimp to change things up.
• If your family won’t eat broccoli, I would substitute thinly sliced zucchini cut into half moons or thinly sliced bell peppers.

I have been avoiding turning on my oven for over a month now, or maybe it’s longer than that, due to the extreme heat. Well now we have humidity to go along with the heat…YAY!! <insert sarcasm>

I am working on a crazy idea to make cookies without baking them – so fingers crossed! It worked – check out these summer friendly Grilled Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Chip Waffled Cookie recipes to see how I did it!

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see it!
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Enjoy!!