Mexican Tortellini Salad

Step 1

First make the Cilantro Vinaigrette. Put the shallot, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Step 2

Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour the tortellini into a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the Cilantro Vinaigrette to keep the tortellini from sticking. Add the corn, black beans, tomatoes, and avocado. Add the remaining vinaigrette and gently stir. Add the cotija cheese and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve.

Step 3

Note-you can use frozen corn if you don't have fresh sweet corn. I like the flavor charred sweet corn adds to the salad though. You can make this a day in advance, but don't add the avocado or cotija cheese until ready to serve and save a little of the vinaigrette to toss right before serving. This will freshen up the salad.