The reason this pasta salad holds up so well at room temperature is because you dress it twice. It absorbs the first round of dressing completely, the second addition keeps it glossy, and a fistful of walnuts and breadcrumbs means there’s always something to bite into.
This recipe is presented to you by Samsung.
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
1
3
4
2
1
½
1
1
4
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Meanwhile, process bread in long pulses in a food processor until coarse crumbs form (you should have about 1 cup). Transfer to a small bowl.
Step 3
Purée roasted red peppers, lemon juice, garlic, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, and about one-quarter of the cooled walnuts in food processor (no need to clean) until smooth. With the motor running, very gradually stream in ½ cup oil. Process until thick; season romesco dressing generously with salt.
Step 4
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water (this stops cooking and removes surface starch so the pasta will be less gummy). Shake off excess water and transfer to a large bowl. Toss pasta with half of the romesco to coat; set aside. Finely chop remaining walnuts; set aside.
Step 5
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium and cook breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and remaining ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 6
Toss reserved pasta with remaining dressing, then fold in tomatoes, Parmesan, and reserved walnuts just to distribute. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta and top with basil.
How would you rate Romesco Pasta Salad With Basil and Parmesan?
Leave a Review
Reviews (14)
Back to Topthere is no paprika, tomatoes or hazelnuts in this sauce, and i've never heard of adding lemon juice or roasted peppers from a jar ... kind of a stretch to call it romesco
caitlin_back2spain
mallorca via NY
6/17/2018
Made this last night and everyone loved it. Word of warning: if the sauce gets on your clothes or linen napkins, it stains and you cannot get it out. Ruined a shirt and apron. We can’t get it to come out. Must be the peppers. But I will make this over and over, just wear old clothes when I make it.
drkoob
Redmond, WA
7/1/2018
caitlyn from Mallorca via NY is rather picky, don't you think? the sauce I'M imagining is half Romesco (jarred roasted red bell pepper puree garlic nuts bread crumbs) and half Tzatziki (grated cucumber garlic celery preserved lemon rind, all mixed into Fage Greek yogurt). sourdough bread crumbs -- lots of them, and not too crumbey (coarse and pebbly, not sandy) -- get grated garlic and minced fresh cilantro-dill-mint -parsley mix instead of parsley alone. the fresh-chopped tomatoes would go better (and even LOOK better) in the Tzatziki version, IMO. for the Romesco version, i'd choose something more contrasting colorwise; e.g., large cubes of diced hard-boiled jalapeno-pickled eggs.
hollis5
Vero Beach, FL
3/7/2019
This is soooo good. It's refreshing, a bit spicy, a little crunchy, and my new go-to pasta salad. Thank you Claire!
Anonymous
Erie, PA
5/5/2019
This was amazing. My new Pasta Salad recipe that I'll bring to every summer cook-out and will also make every couple weeks at home. We grill at a quiet and beautiful State Park on Thursdays for dinner, in season...I kept everything after the initial saucing of the pasta separate and assembled the rest on site, served with some marinated and grilled chicken and it was ridiculously good. Make this recipe
daubie77
Boston, MA
6/6/2019
I can't stop eating this. Fresh and delicious. I loved how simple it is. I tried with hazelnut at home and worked really good too.
brunacazz
Brazil, live in Canada
9/3/2019
This is my favourite way to celebrate July tomatoes. So fresh and satisfying! This past time I went a bit rogue on the substitutions. I swapped for chick pea rigatoni and added in some fresh birds eye chilis in the dressing. I also used pistachios as that’s all I had in my nuts collection at the moment and the sweetness worked well with the dish. Out of park and pecorino, I grated a Vermont white cheddar into it and added a touch of nutYeast. So far from Saffitz’ original recipe at that point I tossed in some sardines and called it lunch. I love reading what people swap - hope someone finds joy in this.
Wemma
Virginia
7/30/2020