Every little bit of this Picnic Basket Pasta Salad is made with love. The fragrant garlic flavor comes from a homemade garlic paste! The crunchy almonds are toasted right on your stove! The roasted peppers come from your oven to add a fresh sweetness and richness. All of this comes served with creamy mozzarella, tender pasta, and smooth olive oil! Picnic Basket Pasta Salad is perfect for picnics, of course, but also for any summer occasion that will make your guests happy… this dish certainly will get everyone smiling!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces mezzi rigatoni or other short tube-shaped pasta
- 2 bell peppers, red or yellow, halved, stemmed and seeded
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1/4 cup almonds
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)
- 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the broiler.
Step 2 –Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.
Step 3 –Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 4 –Add the pasta and cook to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 5 –Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking, shaking off any excess water. Set it aside.
Step 6 –Place the bell peppers, cut-side down, on the prepared broiler pan.
Step 7 –Add the garlic cloves to the broiler pan.
Step 8 –Broil the peppers and the garlic until they are charred, about 7-8 minutes.
Step 9 –Transfer the peppers to a bowl, covering and letting them stand for 5 minutes. Reserve the garlic cloves separately.
Step 10 –Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 11 –Add the almonds to the dry skillet and toast, while shaking the pan, until the almonds have picked up some color, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 12 –Let the almonds cool.
Step 13 –Coarsely chop the almonds.
Step 14 –Squeeze the roasted garlic from their peels onto a cutting board.
Step 15 –Add the salt to the roasted garlic, mashing the garlic into the salt with the side of a knife until a paste forms.
Step 16 –Peel the skins off of the roasted peppers and slice them into strips.
Step 17 –Transfer the pepper slices to a large bowl.
Step 18 –Add the garlic paste and the olive oil to the peppers, mixing to combine.
Step 19 –Finely grate the lemon until you produce 1 teaspoon of zest; add the lemon zest into the bowl with the peppers.
Step 20 –Juice the same lemon and evenly pour the juice over the bowl with the peppers.
Step 21 –Add the bocconcini, the basil, the toasted almonds, the pasta, the salt, and the pepper to the bowl and toss to combine.
Step 22 –Serve.
