Let me count the ways (tortellini)

I love finding quick dinner ideas that can be done a variety of ways.

There are very few recipes that can satisfy everyone at my table at once.

So, here's what we cooked up last night:

Costco Romano Cheese

Costco 7 Cheese Tortellini

Canned Tomatoes from my garden last summer

Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and Fig Balsamic Vinegar

I started with my basic tomato/basil sauce

-Saute 2 cloves of diced garlic in Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

-Add 1 jar canned tomatoes (mostly drained)

-1 Tbsp. of fresh basil (frozen from my garden last year)

-sprinkle of sea salt

Ready for a fun new addition to the recipe:

-Fig balsamic vinegar

The Mountain Town Olive Oil people told me to try it to cut down on the acidity.

I liked it!  It added a fun new flavor to a traditional sauce while still keeping it simple.

While the sauce simmered, I boiled the pasta and grated the cheese.

And this is what we did:

1.  Nate got tortellini drizzled with Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and Fig Balsamic Vinegar, with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt, topped with freshly grated Romano cheese.

2.  I picked tortellini with tomato/basil sauce and freshly grated Romano.

3.  Saxon got tortellini drizzled with Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and LOTS of Romano.  Kind of like a fancy mac & cheese :)

4.  This summer, I'm going to try a tortellini pasta salad with tortellini, fresh mozzarella, sliced black olives, garbanzo beans, possibly artichoke hearts, all drizzled in Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and Fig Balsamic.

Mmmm...I can't wait!