Summer Tortellini

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 (9oz ea) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 pound asparagus spears, bias-cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely shredded romano or parmesan cheese
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or chopped almonds
• yellow sweet peppers, quartered (optional)

Instructions:

In a screw-top jar, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, salt and garlic. Cover and shake well. Refrigerate until needed. In a large saucepan, cook the tortellini according to the package directions, adding the asparagus and yellow sweet peppers to the pan for the last minute of cooking time. Drain, then rinse the tortellini and vegetables with cold water, then drain again. In a very large bowl, toss the tortellini-vegetable mixture with the olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Just before serving, stir the cheese, green onions and nuts into the tortellini mixture. Shake the dressing and pour over all, tossing lightly to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving. If desired, serve in the quartered yellow sweet peppers.