by Caitlin Saniga | photo by Joel Hawksley

This pasta is a great make-ahead meal for work lunches. I packed it as a lunch for a week straight: Each day I’d bring one large container of pasta and one small container of extra olive oil for drizzling. I mixed the walnuts in with the large original batch, so they softened over time, but I didn’t really mind it because they maintained lots of toasted flavor. If you prefer your walnuts to have some crunch, pack them separately.
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound campanelle pasta
- 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and stems (from 1 small bunch)
- 2 heaping tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 3 large lemons)
- 1 1/4 cups walnuts, toasted well and roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, very thinly slice the garlic with a mandoline. Add to the oil, and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is pale golden brown and crisp, 2-3 minutes. (Don’t let it get any darker than pale golden brown. Burned garlic tastes terrible!) Drain the garlic chips in a sieve set over a large bowl, reserving the oil. Spread the garlic chips on paper towels; season with salt.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just barely al dente. Drain. Add the pasta to the oil, and toss. Partially cover, and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Roughly chop the parsley leaves and stems, and add them, along with the lemon zest and walnuts, to the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Garnish with the garlic chips.
Makes 10 servings.
Recipe adapted from: MarthaStewart.com
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