A Simple Summer Pasta

You know those summer nights where you just want to enjoy the weather and spend minimum amounts of time cooking over your stove?  This recipe is for you. The only cooking over heat required is to boil your pasta, otherwise everything else is prepared at room temperature. Plus the flavors are really fresh.  The shining moment belongs to the sweet tomatoes, rich olive oil, herby basil, and salty parmesan cheese.  The simple ingredients that make up this bruschetta-inspired dish are a classic for a reason and really get to sing.

This type of dish is my favorite midweek meal in the summer.  It’s equally refreshing as it is comforting and is a very relaxing meal to make, as there are only a few ingredients to prepare. It’s a real celebration of summer produce with the tomatoes and basil. And since we’re friends, I’m not ashamed to say i could grate fresh parmesan cheese directly into my mouth. This pasta dish allows me to almost live that dream, by adding tons of it over the top of each bowl.

Tips For Making This Recipe

If you plan on making this bruschetta pasta recipe, here are a few tips to make it extra delicious

• When grocery shopping, if you were to pick two areas to splurge on when making this recipe it’s the pasta and the parmesan cheese. To identify high quality pasta, look for noodles that have texture to them – they’ll almost look floury. This texture means they were extruded through higher quality machinery and the texture will allow the sauce to stick to the noodles better.
• If you’ve not tried freshly grated parmesan  cheese over pasta, this is your sign to do so.  The pre-grated cheese at the grocery store is wonderful and works when you’re in a rush. But the taste of a freshly grated parmesan cheese is so much more flavorful and will really take your dish to the next level.  Especially when you’re letting only a few ingredients shine, like this recipe.
• When cooking your pasta, be sure to salt your water when you add the pasta to it.The water should be salty to the taste if you took a spoonful out of it. Alternatively, do not add any oil to your pasta water.  This is a trip I’ve seen occasionally, but it will make it more difficult for the sauce to stick to the noodles.
• Do not refrigerate your tomatoes.  Keep them at room temperature as the flavors will stay much fresher.  This feels counterintuitive, but only refrigerate your tomatoes if you’re really concerned they’re about to go bad as a last resort to get another day or two out of them.  Trust me, once you only eat your tomatoes at room temperature, you’ll find cold refrigerated tomatoes so disappointing. 

Recipe Details

I love how simple this recipe is – it’s the perfect summer weeknight dinner when it’s a bit hot out and you can’t be bothered to spend your entire evening cooking. All of the prep work will be at the beginning, by halving a few cups of tomatoes, slicing some basil, and measuring out the marinade ingredients.  To start, you’ll first marinate the tomatoes in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  These will marinate and absorb all of the flavors while the pasta is cooking.

You’ll cook your pasta according to the package directions in salty water. As soon as the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and immediately add it to the marinating tomatoes. Toss the pasta into the marinated sauce until the noodles are lightly coated. Once mostly coated, you’ll add in the fresh basil, giving it one more toss, and then serve it up!

To garnish the pasta, I love adding tons of freshly grated parmesan cheese, an extra drizzle of olive oil, and more fresh basil. Eat right away and enjoy!

If you like the sound of this recipe, you should also check out these:

• Cherry Tomato Pasta alla Vodka with Crispy Prosciutto
• Spicy Tomato Toast with Parmesan and Basil
• Burrata Tomato Peach Caprese Salad

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Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Spaghetti with No-Cook Bruschetta Sauce

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Boiled Cuisine: Italian Courses: Pasta

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 mins Total Time 15 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: Summer

Dietary:

N Nut Free

Description

A perfect pasta for when it’s too hot to stand over the stove. Fresh tomatoes are marinated in classic bruschetta flavors, tossed with warm pasta, and finished with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 3 cup fresh petite tomatoes, halved (like grape or cherry tomatoes)
• ¹⁄₄ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 lb high-quality spaghetti
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the halved tomatoes, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, the juice of ½ a lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and a pinch of black pepper.

2. Stir to coat the tomatoes in the marinade and set aside.

3. While the tomatoes marinate, cook your pasta according to the package directions.

4. Once the pasta has cooked to al dente, drain and immediately add to the bowl of marinating tomatoes.

5. Use a tong or spoons to toss the pasta in the marinade and to begin distributing the tomatoes.  Add the thinly sliced basil and toss into the pasta.

6. Divide the pasta among four bowls. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the edges of the bowl, generously grate fresh parmesan cheese over the top of each bowl, and garnish with additional fresh basil leaves.