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Pasta with Easy No-Cook Sauce

May 29, 2013

You know those days when you just don’t feel like cooking, or going through a million steps to get a meal on the table? A.k.a. every day? Or it’s just too hot to cook things for too long? That’s where this recipe comes in—a simple pasta with no-cook sauce.  

Fresh tomatoes for your no-cook sauce

You have the amazing summer flavors of fresh tomatoes and basil, the bite of the garlic, and that’s about it. Simple, basic. And super delish.

Fresh basil for your pasta with no-cook sauce

Add in a tiny bit of cheese and some hot pasta, and you have a winner, and all in the time it takes to boil the pasta.

Easy Pasta with No-Cook Sauce | This super simple dinner comes together in 15 minutes or less, just the time it takes to cook the pasta!  Fresh and delicious tomatoes, basil, and fresh-grated parmesan make this a perfect summer meal.  Vegetarian dinner ideas, easy pasta recipes. #pasta #vegetarian #meatlessmonday #easydinner

Put the water on to boil and then cook the pasta according to the directions, making sure to leave it al dente. Save a half cup or cup of the starchy pasta water.

Slice the tiny tomatoes in half length-wise and throw in a giant bowl.

easy no cook pasta tomatoes chopped

Mince up your fresh garlic and throw it in the bowl too. You may discover that all your fresh garlic has sprouted little green things, in which case you’ll get the pre-minced garlic out of the fridge and use that instead…

easy no cook pasta tomatoes chopped garlic

Chiffonade your basil. That’s just a fancy word for choppin’ it up into strips.

Fresh basil for your pasta with no-cook sauce

Throw the basil in the bowl, and add some sea salt, a handful of fresh-grated parmesan, and a few glugs of olive oil. If you do this ahead of time, over with plastic wrap and let the flavors all get to know each other for a while.

easy no cook pasta spinach tomatoes garlic

When the pasta’s done cooking, reserve some of the water and then drain the pasta. Throw it in with all the other ingredients and toss everything together, adding in the pasta water as needed to help it form a sauce.

Easy pasta with no-cook sauce

easy no cook pasta pasta finished

This pasta with no-cook sauce was a super easy 15-minute meal, and uses such fresh, classic flavors!  I think I’d actually use a short pasta in the future rather than long…I’m not the biggest fan of eating long pasta, and I think the short pasta with the tomato bites would pair better.

Other crazy easy pasta recipes you’ll love:

  • Pasta with Mixed Greens & Goat Cheese
  • Giovanna’s Pasta con Pesto
  • Pasta with Sausage, Cabbage, & Kale
  • Pasta with Roasted Garlic, Spinach, Tomatoes, & Ricotta

Easy Pasta with No-Cook Sauce

  • 12 or 16 ounces of dry pasta
  • Grape or cherry tomatoes
  • A handful or two of fresh basil
  • 2 large cloves of fresh garlic (or equivalent)
  • At least 1/2 cup of fresh-grated parmesan cheese
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh-ground salt & pepper

Boil water, add salt, and cook pasta according to instructions, leaving al dente.

Slice all the tomatoes in half, chiffonade the basil, and mince the garlic. Place in a large bowl with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cover with plastic wrap. You can do this ahead of time, too, and let the flavors get to know each other for a while. Right before you add the pasta, throw in a handful of shredded parmesan.

Once the pasta is ready, keep a half cup or so of pasta water back and drain the rest. Toss the pasta with the tomato-basil mixture and mix the pasta water in as needed to make everything stick together and form a creamy sauce.

Original recipe here

Pin for later!

Easy Pasta with No-Cook Sauce | This super simple dinner comes together in 15 minutes or less, just the time it takes to cook the pasta!  Fresh and delicious tomatoes, basil, and fresh-grated parmesan make this a perfect summer meal.  Vegetarian dinner ideas, easy pasta recipes. #pasta #vegetarian #meatlessmonday #easydinner

2 Comments CATEGORIES // Main Dishes, Pasta Recipes

« Super Easy Fresh Homemade Salsa
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Gorgonzola »

Comments

  1. Ani D says

    May 29, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    I could eat an entire pint of cherry tomatoes if I was not paying attention haha but this is my go to recipe with some cannellini beans for added protein. YUM!

    Reply
  2. Heather @ HeatherOMade says

    October 27, 2014 at 10:50 am

    :0) hope you loved it! thanks for the link love!

    Reply

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