I love a good Greek salad, so I sought a way to get the flavor experience without all the lettuce. My recipe for Greek Tortellini Salad uses the ingredients from the classic to net you a delicious pasta salad side dish.

Cheese-filled tortellini are combined with diced Roma tomatoes and cucumber, chopped green onions and fresh parsley, canned sliced black olives and, for the traditional Greek salad flavor, some sliced pepperoncini peppers and crumbled feta cheese.

The tomatoes and cucumber should be cut into a large dice, their size matching the size of the cooked tortellini. I opted to use bottled Greek salad dressing in this recipe, saving you a bit of time. I found several brands at my corner supermarket, but if you can’t find Greek dressing in your area, purchase a vinaigrette containing olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, for a dressing that’s sure to pair well with the Greek-themed ingredients.

Serve your Greek Tortellini Salad alongside some grilled chicken or as a meatless entrée salad over lettuce leaves with some hearty bread on the side.

• 1 19-ounce package frozen cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions, drained well
• 5 Roma tomatoes, washed and cut into large chunks
• 1 English seedless cucumber, unpeeled, cut into large chunks
• 1 cup Greek black olives, drained, pitted and sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced mild pepperoncini peppers, drained
• 3/4 cup bottled reduced fat Italian or Greek salad dressing
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, until well chilled.

Makes 10 side-dish servings.