Cappellini with Tomato Cold Sauce
Enjoy a super easy and extremely flavorful dinner when you make Cappellini with Tomato Cold Sauce. This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights as well as serving to guests on the weekend.
About a year ago I tried a hot pasta with cold sauce dish at a favorite Italian restaurant. I haven’t been able to forget about it and decided to find a recipe to replicate the amazing tomato and basil flavor.
Cappellini with Tomato Cold Sauce is perfect for summer when fresh heirloom tomatoes are readily available. I love all the beautiful colors and the slight flavor nuances in tomato varieties.
I have to admit that when I ordered this dish at Francesca’s, I wasn’t too sure I’d like it. Hot pasta with cold sauce? I don’t know. But I’m open to trying new dishes and this one is a current favorite!
The recipe is amazingly simple. You chop up tomatoes and mix them up with olive oil, basil, a bit of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the mixture and let it sit at room temperature for 4 hours or more to blend all the flavors.
Then cook your pasta, drain, and add the tomato cold sauce. Mmmm! It just doesn’t get any better than this! You can serve tomato cold sauce over any type of pasta, really. I might try it next with cheese ravioli.
Serve with your favorite wine and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired. I enjoyed the dish with a glass of Robert Mondavi’s Fume Blanc (an amazing white wine), but a light red wine like Pinot Noir works well too.
Enjoy!!
Cappellini with Tomato Cold Sauce
A mix of heirloom tomatoes combines with basil, olive oil, and a bit of garlic to create a flavorful cold sauce that's served over hot pasta.
Ingredients
- 6 medium heirloom tomatoes chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 10 basil leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- 16 ounces Cappellini pasta
Instructions
-
Thoroughly mix tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil in a large serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture marinate for four hours or more at room temperature.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to large bowl. Add tomato cold sauce to pasta and stir until combined. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired.
The pasta can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave. The sauce will no longer be cold but still tastes amazing!
We eat cold pasta salads, so why not warm pasta with a cold sauce? It sounds delicious to me.
Looks and sounds delicious. Perfect for summer
Cindy
It sounds amazingly wonderful! We’ll be going “gluten free pasta” but that will make it the perfect meal 🙂 Thanks!!
Sounds like the perfect meal for summer, i love pasta. Thanks,so much.M
Can i use regular tomatoes instead?
Yes, you can use regular tomatoes for this recipe. Enjoy!