Spinach Tortelini Salad

Now that it's warming up, I've been in the mood for salads! On Monday, I planned out our meals for 2 weeks and realized that 5 of them are salads! This one is a great summer recipe. You can prepare everything ahead of time and then just toss everything together right before you sit down to eat. The dressing was a little too sweet for my taste (it would be great if it was for a side salad or something, but by the end I was a little sweeted out), so next time I plan on cutting back on the sugar. Also, I think you could vary it by using sliced strawberries instead of mandarins (since summer is a great time for strawberries) or even adding some feta cheese, which is what I did when I had it for lunch the next day.

Only put the dressing on what you plan on eating at that time, because it won't keep nicely with the dressing on. I actually kept everything separately and just made up individual bowls per serving and then the next day I just made up another salad for myself for lunch. It worked great! You can make it as big or small as you want too. Just adjust the amounts to whatever you like.

Spinach Tortellini Salad
Dressing:

1/3 - 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 T. grated onion
1 T. sesame seeds, toasted on a fry pan for a few minutes

Salad:

Fresh Spinach (baby is recommended; I just ripped up regular)
Cheese Tortellini, cooked and chilled in the refrigerator
Canned Mandarin Oranges
Bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

Earlier in the day: cook tortellini according to package directions. ( A 9 oz. package would be plenty for 2-4 people). Let cool and store in the refrigerator until assembly time. Cook bacon (I did about 7 slices) and chop into small pieces and store in the refrigerator until serving time.

For the dressing: Combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar and remove from heat. Add olive oil, salt, paprika, grated onion, and toasted sesame seeds. Stir well to combine and let dressing sit until serving time (the longer it sits, the better).

To assemble: combine desired amount of spinach, tortellini, mandarins and bacon and toss in the dressing (as much as you want) to combine. Enjoy!

Source: My sister Wendy