Spaghetti salad is a beautiful little thing. We plated it, but you could just make a bowl of this and pour the garnishes on it and it’ll be fine.
Ingredients
- 1/4 loaf Italian bread, cut into croutons
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating pasta
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 15 oz. container ricotta cheese, divided
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 8 oz. spaghetti
- 1 tbsp chili flakes
- 1/2 bunch chives, finely diced
Instructions
Make Croutons
- Preheat oven to 400°F. On a large baking sheet, combine bread with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast until crunchy, 15–20 minutes. Let cool, then pulse croutons in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 of the ricotta (reserve the rest for serving), lemon zest and juice, and buttermilk. The mixture should be loose enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.
Make Pasta and Garnish
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a baking sheet. Coat with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- While pasta is cooking, make the garnish mix: in a bowl, combine the prepared breadcrumbs, chili flakes, chives, and black pepper to taste.
Plate and Serve
- To plate, place a dollop of the reserved ricotta in the center of each of four plates. In a large bowl, mix the whisked ricotta mixture with the noodles.
- Twirling a portion of noodles using plating tweezers or two forks, then roll in the garnish crumbs to coat the outside.
- Plate the twirled portions over the ricotta dollops. Top with lemon supremes and fresh mint if desired.
