Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Almonds, and Bread Crumbs

I'm in a rut. A big, fat, stinking rut. And I need out.

Help me.

Do you ever get so stressed out and busy that you just don't know what to do with yourself? Well, that's my life as of now and I'm hoping that next week will be better.

I've had a bag of croutons staring at me from my counter for the past couple of weeks. It's just been begging me to make this pasta. It's so easy and I need easy right now. I need something that I don't have to think about when I put it together. Plus I need a lot of leftovers that I can eat when I'm too stressed to think straight.

This is the only thing that I will eat the leftovers until they're totally gone. Isn't that strange? I absolutely hate eating leftovers. I always put them in my fridge after I cook but then throw it out at the end of the week. Somehow I make myself feel better by keeping them even though I know I won't eat them.

Also, this is the only dish I'll eat cold from the fridge. It's really, really good cold. Plus it gets better the longer it sits. However, I could really do without the roasted red peppers. I just don't like them. Every time I use them, I think "Maybe this time. Maybe this time will be better..." but it's not. At least for me. It's like the fast food Chinese restaurant in the mall food court. You always have hope that one day it will surprise you and be really good. But it's just not.

Ok, enough rambling. On to the recipe!

Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Almonds and Bread Crumbs

Source: Giada

1 pound rigatoni pasta
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

Directions
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.