Fresh tomato summer pasta sauce is a delicious, healthy, vegetarian dinner recipe, and a perfect use for garden tomatoes. Bursting with the vibrant flavors of ripe tomatoes, fragrant herbs, and crunchy pine nuts, this no-cook tomato sauce is perfect for summer days when you don’t want to spend time in a hot kitchen.
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Easy, Ideal Summer Pasta Dish
As the temperature rises and the days grow longer, I don’t always want to heat up my kitchen to make dinner.
I have a couple of raised boxes in my backyard and I can grow just enough to excite me on a daily basis. I grow a lot of herbs, plus arugula, corn, zucchini and of course, tomatoes.
Nothing is more satisfying than grabbing a little of this and a little of that from your own backyard and turning it into dinner!
This summer tomato pasta sauce is the simplest, absolute best, freshest, fastest and easiest recipe you’ll ever NOT cook!
How to Make Fresh Summer Pasta Sauce
To make this effortless summer sauce, start by chopping your tomatoes.
Add some fresh basil, cut chiffonade. (OK, I love to use that word).
Chiffonade is one of those fancy French culinary terms that means, “roll all the leaves together into a tight little package and chop really finely.” Check out this One Minute Food Byte, to learn how to chiffonade basil.
Add in the pine nuts, garlic, and cheese.
Drizzle with olive oil and a squirt or two of balsamic vinegar, then season with salt and pepper.
Stir it all together to combine, then let everything “macerate“ (see “Marinade, Marinate, Macerate” for more on that) in a bowl on your counter for a 1/2 hour to an hour. Meanwhile, boil your pasta.
And voila! Your Italian summer pasta dinner is done.
The Secret to No-Cook Summer Fresh Sauce: Taste, Taste, Taste!
This fresh summer tomato sauce is the type of recipe that I don’t really measure ingredients for.
This recipe is all made to taste, depending on how many tomatoes you have and how much sauce you want to make. Toss the ingredients together, taste it, then judge for yourself. Does it need more basil, salt, pepper… whatever?
Truth is, if it were just you and me in the kitchen together, I’d hand you a spoon, asking you to taste it until it tasted right for us. “More garlic,” I’d ask? Together we’d taste, sip wine and nibble on bits of my homemade bread.
Whenever I try out a new recipe, or even my old tried and true recipes, I usually hand a spoon to whoever’s nearby and ask them, “Salt? Pepper? Garlic?”
I usually serve this fresh tomato summer pasta sauce on top of angel hair pasta, or as a topping for Bruschetta (BRUS-SKETTA).
If you’re looking for a light, customizable meal that requires minimal effort, look no further than this fresh summer pasta recipe.
Fresh Tomato Summer Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
- Chop tomatoes. Add basil, cheese, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit while pasta is cooking, about 20 minutes.
- Toss with pasta or on top bruschetta.
Nutrition
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader says
I love recipes like this! In the heat of summer the last thing I want to do is cook so I can see myself making this on multiple occasions.
Thanks for sharing at The Weekend Social. Looking forward to seeing what you have for us next week.
Cynthia says
Thank you Ricki, and thank you for hosting!
Libby with Lemony Thyme says
Such a nice summer recipe Cynthia. And GORGEOUS photos. I’ve scrolled up and down multiple times. Love it.
Cynthia says
Thanks so much Libby!
Judy at Two Broads Abroad says
Your pasta picture stopped me in my tracks…and putting it on top of pasta is wonderful. Thanks
Cynthia says
Thank you for stopping by Judy!
Dina@Kitchen Dreaming says
Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on Kitchen Dreaming.com ! I hope to see you there! Pinned
Cynthia says
Thanks so much for hosting Dina!
Ambar says
This pasta looks so fresh! Love it!
Cynthia says
Thank you Ambar! It is so fresh and delicious! We had it just a few nights ago on top of spaghetti squash for a low-carb alternative!
Marye says
Oh yum this looks absolutely delicious! I am loving that sauce!
Christina | Christina's Cucina says
I’ve never tried a no-cook pasta sauce, but this is so fresh and looks wonderful! It’s absolutely perfect for summer and I remember when you made this on the morning news in Santa Barbara! Very cool!
Ozzy Hernandez says
I am a beginner when it comes to cooking. But this was a quick and simple recipe that my wife LOVED. The roasted pine nuts and mix of ingredients give this vegetarian dish a savory depth that neither of us were expecting. I have added it to the recipe book and am planning to use it for mothers day!
Cynthia says
Thank you Ozzy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s such an easy dish! Thank you for joining my cooking class!
Janessa says
This fresh tomato pasta sauce looks so fresh and delicious! I can’t wait for my tomatoes and basil to be ready in my garden so that I can make this.
Andrea Pannell says
So refreshing, my kids absolutely die for pasta and marinara is their favorite!
Cynthia says
I’m glad, it’s almost like “fresh marinara”.
Andrea says
Love all the fresh ingredients in the sauce. Can’t wait to eat a big bowl of this deliciousness!
Anita says
This pasta is just perfect for summer. So fresh and colorful. And the perfect way to use garden tomatoes. 🙂
Carrie Robinson says
This is such a perfect recipe for all of those fresh summer tomatoes that are about to show up at my local farmers market! Can’t wait to try this. 🙂
Mimi Rippee says
This is really nice. Perfect for a light summer meal!
Cynthia says
one of our family favorites when our tomatoes come in!