Dinner On the Go

After missing a week of cooking due to my sister's wedding, I was more than ready to get back in the kitchen! Since I got back from Houston around 7 from wedding weekend, an elaborate dinner was not in the cards. Thankfully, during my short period of downtime during wedding planning, I caught an episode of Everyday Italian where Giada prepared 4 meals with 5 ingredients in 15 minutes.

Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Almonds and Bread Crumbs

1 pound rigatoni pasta (I used corkscrew)

3 cups purchased garlic-flavored croutons, (about 5 ounces)

1/4 cup slivered almonds (about 1 ounce), toasted

1 cup julienned roasted red bell peppers

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl.
Place the croutons and the almonds in a food processor. Pulse until it becomes the texture of bread crumbs. Add the crouton and almond mixture to the hot pasta. Add the peppers and the olive oil. Toss to combine and serve.

I really enjoyed the texture that the croutons and almonds gave, but I could've used another flavor dimension in here. I think next time I'll add some sun-dried tomatoes, and maybe some fresh herbs if I have them on hand.

I also stole some salad from my house before I drove back since we bought a HUGE one that we hardly made a dent in. I served it with a sweet onion and poppyseed dressing, which was a great balance for the pasta.