Cold Sauce Pasta

I have entered full-on summer cooking mode. It isn't even half way through June yet and we've hit 100 degrees at least 8 (maybe 10?) times. It is not surprising that I am no longer interested in long meals that I spend hours (or even 1 hour) over the stove stirring or cooking in the oven. I have been on the lookout for recipes that use minimal stovetop/oven time and are slightly lighter fair.

I stumbled up upon this when we were still in the midst of swim practice during prime cooking time. It was a God-send. Almost all the work is done the evening before. It just takes a little foresight (this isn't a last minute type of meal). The only stuff that uses the stove is cooking the pasta the day you serve this.

Again, let me reiterate: You must make this sauce the day before you want to eat the meal. The sauce takes almost no time to make, but it sits in the fridge over night to let the flavors marry and enrich.

We all enjoyed it. I do think my favorite part was the ease of it all. This will definitely be a swim team/summer staple.

This serves 4 - 6. I served it with a loaf of homemade basil pecan bread (once I get a loaf of that I'm proud of, I'll post the recipe. The recipe is over on Food52 if you want to check it out yourself).

Cold Sauce Pasta

adapted from Roxanne DeRosa on Food52.com with the help of DRBAB's testing notes

1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 c basil, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, left whole

2 T extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

long skinny pasta (I probably used capellini, but spaghetti or anything else similar will do)

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, stir the olive oil into the sauce and remove the garlic cloves. Drain the hot pasta, place in a serving bowl and top with the sauce. Serve.

That's it. Really. It is that easy.