Insalata Rica is located near St. Peters Square and the Vatican Museums. The restaurant offers…read morepatio seating with misters (great for those warm summer days) and indoor seating (when you need to escape the heat).
We stopped in here after an incredible morning spent with Pope St. Francis...and a few thousand of his closest friends during his public address. After a HOT summer morning spent sitting in the sun and several days of pizza and paninis, I was so thankful for the refreshing salad options at Insalata Rica!
The Bruschetta al Pomodoro was a delicious appetizer and perfect start to the meal. It was simple, but made with high-quality ingredients: very fresh tomatoes bursting with flavor, light salt and fresh basil. Perfect combination!
The Troffie al Pesto was delicious and I loved the freshly-made Troffie pasta - unique shape and texture - perfect for soaking up the pesto. The pesto was mild and didn't have a strong garlic flavor, but overall we were quite pleased and the serving was quite generous for the price.
I ordered the Insalata Siciliana (Sicilian Salad) and requested it "sensa mais" (without corn). This is maybe my favorite salad of all time. Definitely the best salad we enjoyed in Rome! I was SO excited to have a BIG bowl of greens after days of pizza, pasta and paninis, and this salad did not disappoint. The Insalata Siciliana came with mixed greens, arugula, sun dried tomatoes ("pomodori secchi"), olives, and generous pieces of "Ricotta Salata" (aged ricotta cheese). The fresh flavors and combination was perfecto!
Also, the cheese lover in me leaned something new: "Ricotta Salata" maintains a unique freshness - that milky quality of ricotta - but is dry and spongy, almost like an aged feta. It's sharper, too, due to that extra dose of salt ("salata"). Turns out, it's the perfect cheese to top on a salad and drizzle with fresh olive oil!