Spaghetti With Raw Tomato Sauce
A Summertime Pasta
- Servings: 4 as a main course, 6 as a side.
Chunks of vine-ripened tomato combine with summer herbs and salty cheese to make a bright and satisfying raw sauce for any large-cut pasta. It has its best flavor when served at room temperature.
This recipe is versatile and you can add any combination of favorite flavors to the uncooked chunks of tomato, such as pieces of fresh green pepper, roasted artichoke, pieces of mozzarella instead of the ricotta salata cheese, or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Adding yellow tomatoes to this recipe will add visual appeal, but remember that yellow tomatoes are milder and lower in acid than their red counterparts so make sure any tomatoes used in this sauce have full and good flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pasta. Best choice for this dish is a large cut pasta like ziti, shells or rotini
- 2 pounds fresh, locally grown ripe tomatoes, or enough so that when cored and cut into large chunks and wedges, to make 4 cups
- 2 peeled garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a chef's knife
- 1/4 cup red onion cut into a fine dice
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta or ricotta salata cheese
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil cut into long strips
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in your serving bowl. Only peel the tomatoes if the skin is particularly thick.
- Add the red onion, crumbled cheese, crushed garlic cloves, basil, oregano, and olive oil and gently toss.
- Season with a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper and taste, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to let the flavors combine and for the tomatoes to throw off juice.
- When ready to serve, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Be careful to not overcook the pasta because some of the juice from the tomatoes will be absorbed into the pasta and if it's over-cooked, the pasta will get gummy.
- Drain completely. Add to the bowl of tomato sauce. Toss to combine.
- Serve at room temperature, adding more grated cheese if you like.
