I spent last week on the coast of Northern California, splitting the time between Marin County north of San Francisco, and Big Sur to the south. We drove north to south in the middle of the week, through golden hills and irrigated rows of green. Suddenly, with fields all around, I sniffed. Had I forgot to wash my hands after last night's garlicky pasta dinner? No — even that wouldn't give off this garlic pungence, this scent of a thousand garlic cloves minced and oily. Welcome to Gilroy, California, the capital of garlic. Here, in honor of Gilroy, for all you garlic-lovers, is a pasta salad with not one, not two, but three whole heads of garlic.
Gilroy's special aroma, which can be fully experienced even from a fast-moving car on a highway outside town, is well-documented. You can even check the state of today's Gilroy smell with this website: How Does Gilroy Smell Today?, with a scale, naturally, of garlic heads, 1 to 5.
I admit that I rather liked the smell of Gilroy, musky and sweet, all-encompassing. I am a garlic-lover through and through. But while I have a staggering amount of garlic in this pasta salad, you don't need to love all its pungent aspects as much as I do. Here the garlic is roasted until sweet and soft, then whipped into ricotta and yogurt. With the dairy, the roasted garlic is surprisingly mellow; it doesn't overpower this salad at all. In fact, it forms a strong background note of nutty sweetness; all that crazy garlic power is smoothed away.
It also blooms overnight in the fridge; this is a good pasta salad to make a night ahead. The garlic's best aromas come out overnight, and the chunks of tomatoes and olives tuck themselves into the pasta shells. The yogurt gives tang, and the ricotta is simply delicious. It's a go-to pasta salad for me, and a great vegetarian weeknight dinner.
So don't be afraid of the three whole garlic heads; roast away, remember Gilroy, and enjoy garlic in all its many tastes.

Roasted Garlic, Olive and Tomato Pasta Salad
serves 6 as a side or 4 as a main3 small heads garlic
Olive oil
1 pound medium pasta shells
15 ounces whole or skim milk ricotta
3/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 small tomatoes (about 1 pound), roughly diced
1 cup black or green olives, sliced
1/3 cup firmly packed cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Heat the oven to 400°F. Slice the tops off the garlic heads. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the center of a large square of foil and fold to seal. Place the packet in a baking pan and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the garlic is very soft. Remove, and let cool.
Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and remove to a large bowl. Toss with a little olive oil, and let cool while making the dressing. Whisk the ricotta and yogurt together until lightened and smooth, and add in all of the roasted garlic - squeezing the soft garlic out of each clove. Whisk vigorously, until the garlic is well-incorporated. Whisk in the salt and season generously with black pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour the ricotta mixture over the pasta and add the tomatoes, olives, and basil. Toss to coat. Taste and season further if needed with salt and pepper.
Serve slightly warm or chilled. The texture is best when served immediately, but the garlic flavor improves overnight, so either way it's good!
Related: 10 Fresh, Hearty Grain & Pasta Salads
(Originally published July 19, 2007, with only two heads of garlic!)
(Images: Faith Durand)
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Comments (29)
That sounds incredible, I'll have to do this one tonight! We have a lot of pasta salad in the summer too...one of our favorites is a Lemon Tuna variety.
Flake up some tuna packed in olive oil, add a drained can of cannellini beans, the juice and zest of one lemon, and capers to taste. Add fresh basil if you have it, add your pasta, and you're ready to go. Leftovers are spectacular, but you need to add a little EVOO the next day...
Is this still good with a lower fat ricotta or lower fat yogurt?
Ooh, I've got all the stuff to make Deb's lemon tuna pasta tonight! I'm trying to use up pantry stuff since we're moving in a week - that's two less cans to pack! Yay!
This sounds really yummy. I'm wondering if the recipes could offer a printer friendly tab. It would be very helpful, as I can't seem to get the recipe to centre on the page, and end up writing it out by hand to use.
I just made this and, as I ususally do, I adapted it according to what I had in my kitchen. I like garlic, so I did 4 cloves of roasted garlic instead of two; I also roasted the tomatoes. I didn't have yogurt, so I added lemon juice and some chopped capers for tang, and finally I added salmon! YUM! (I think this would also be excellent with prosciutto or really good salami.)
This looks delicious! Perfect for summer. I'll share the link with my visitors. Cheers!
I just tried this out for my afternoon snack and it was very good. I added cucumber (leftover from my CSA basket) and used whole wheat penne. I didn't have as many olives as I would have liked but since I feel So Very Pregnant I was quite generous with some fresh parmesan. Ahem.
Very yummy.
I second the print option for recipes on this site -- I have to copy and paste into a word document b/c just printing the page has all the ads and stuff on it.
Wow that looks so good! When I was little my sister used to always make a pasta salad in a box that wasn't at all good for you, but I would love to revisit the theme with more fresh options....and the creamy garlic sauce looks so amazing!
mmmmmm made it twice now. first time not so good as i didnt cut the olives, and the taste of a whole olive at once is too much for me. But when i cut them, it all made sense))) and was delicious
Meindert: did you use 2 heads of garlic, as per the recipe?
I love, love roasted garlic, but 2 heads (instead of cloves) does sound a bit much to me.
Thanks
We used 4 heads and could have used more... we love garlic! 2 heads shouldn't be too bad if you're not crazy about garlic.
Upon first taste, it seems a bit bland. And I was quite generous with the S&P.
I think maybe because I used nonfat yogurt and lowfat ricotta, that might have affected the "boldness" of the pasta. Still good, healthy, and fresh tasting though!
This recipe makes me wish I liked olives. In reply to leahcdouglas, I'm thinking that this recipe could use some lemon?
Oooh, this looks delicious!
I respectfully disagree with calling it a perfect "Summer" recipe though— I unfortunately don't have a air conditioner, and so heating the oven to 400° for an hour to roast the garlic when the weather is already averaging around 90°F this week just isn't going to work for me. :(
Any suggestions on how else I can cook the garlic without turning my apartment into a giant oven? Can it go in a slow cooker, or something?
For a printer friendly option, I just click the tab above or below the recipe that says "printer-friendly recipe." It prints w/o any adds or added text.
@AESTHETIC, do you have a toaster oven? I often roast small batches of veggies in mine.
@Aesthetic - yes, you should be able to do it in the slow cooker. Place six heads of garlic (or more for a bigger slow cooker) on foil, drizzle with oil, and cook for 8 hours. I always mash up the extra and stick 'em in ice cube trays to have on hand for the future, too!
Erm, I should have also indicated - wrap the heads of garlic in the foil before putting in the slow cooker on low!
@AESTHETICALLY INCLINED oh yes, nice setup! I have a post coming up on that very thing soon! (And yes, the slow cooker is also a great option.)
@LOVESITC1 Those comments are from several years ago... I believe they were made before the site update that included a printing option! :)
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Our garlic is drying as I write this - can't wait to use it. This sounds awesome! Thank you.
@fantazmah, thanks for the directions!
@Faith, will be watching for the next post, thank you!
If you are dairy free you can skip the milk products and add a little olive oil instead, still sooooooo good!
MMM...this sounds delicious. Can't wait to try it this week with a glass of Trebbiano. This Italian white has a wonderful aged, oxidized character that will handle the roasted garlic, as well as a lean acidic finish that will stand up to the yogurt dressing.
I'd love to make this, but my wife is not a fan of olives. Anyone have a recommendation for a substitute?
I made this tonight and used Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt, added a can of cannellini beans, and added extra basil and it turned out fantastic!! Going to let it sit overnight so the flavors can mingle and have it for lunch tomorrow.
I have to say I enjoyed this warm and gooey after it was first made more than cold. I look forward to testing it reheated! Loved the flavors.