tortellini shrimp caesar salad

the grocery store that we shop at has a cooking school, and every now and then they give out a little magazine loaded with recipes. this particular one was filled with amazing things like to die for chocolate cake, greek desserts, hearty soups, and the little gem below.  hubby made this about a week before easter and it was so good that we decided it was the dish we would take to my aunt's house.

being so simple to throw together makes it taste better, in my opinion.  quick and easy meals are normally better than having to slave away for hours. {ok, i know that's not true, but pretend it is for this (;} plus, i had a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer that i really didn't know what i was going to do with.  luckily, it worked perfectly for this.

we ate this as a main meal paired with french bread, but it could definitely be used as a small side dish as well.  you pick!

ingredients 

1 pkg (20 oz) frozen cheese tortellini
1 pound cooked, peeled shrimp (about 25-30) - cut in half
1 pkg (5-6 oz) baby spinach
3 tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/2 cup caesar dressing
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves


directions

<> heat large covered saucepot of water to boiling over high heat.  add tortellini and cook as label directs; drain.

<> meanwhile, in large salad bowl, toss shrimp with spinach, tomatoes, cheese and dressing until well combined.  add warm tortellini and toss until mixture is coated in dressing.  sprinkle salad with basil to serve.  makes about 12 cups.