Roasted Pepper Pasta Salad

I loved how fresh this salad tasted. I also loved the inclusion of the almonds and if you've never roasted your own peppers (or garlic for that matter), you're in for a treat. Actually taking the time to roast the peppers is definitely not a step to skip out on (read the title!). The salad itself does take a fair bit of time to make, but it`s worth it. Such a nice change from the standard `mayonnaise ` based pasta dishes. The only change I would make is adding a little more acidity. Even with the lemon juice I wanted a little more acid. I drizzled a little bit of balsamic over the top of my individual serving and that did the trick for me. Again, given that this dish has a fair bit of steps, I`d recommend making it with a buddy or doing some prep the night before depending on your time limits. Bon appétit! 

Ingredients
salt
12 ounces mezzi rigatoni or other short tube-shaped pasta
2 bell peppers (red and/or yellow), halved, stemmed and seeded
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup almonds
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking*. (we served ours HOT as a main dish for dinner and therefore did not cool it off). Shake off the excess water.

2. Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan, add the garlic and broil until charred, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes.

3. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, shaking the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

4. Squeeze the garlic from its skin onto a cutting board. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt; mince and mash the garlic into a paste with a large knife. Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic paste and drizzle with the olive oil. Finely grate about 1 teaspoon lemon zest into the bowl and squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Add the bocconcini, basil, almonds, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; toss.

- Recipe and photo cred to the Food Network (camera was out of battery that night!)