It turns out that the best no-cook pasta sauce…is a little bit cooked. There’s a reason classic marinara takes an hour on the stove, or tomato paste (itself a long-cooked and deeply concentrated tomato product) is such a beloved sauce ingredient—tomatoes are simply better when their bright, acidic sweetness hangs out in a hot pan for a while. But peak summer tomatoes are close to perfect straight from the farmers market, and the last thing I want to do on a hot evening is spend hours stirring a bubbling pot of sauce. So to get the best of both worlds, we’re making a deeply savory tomato pasta that’s extremely fast and almost no-cook.
For this recipe you won’t even need to break out a knife and cutting board; all of the prep action happens with a box grater. Grating tomatoes creates a juicy pulp that’s fresh and vegetal—cook that down in a high-sided skillet (to catch any spatters; a Dutch oven works too) for just a few minutes, then add fish sauce and miso for a one-two punch of powerfully savory flavors (and also all the salt you’ll need, which is why you won’t find any here). The pasta gets finished off with black pepper and butter, which combines with the miso to create a velvety texture. Don’t be fooled by the pale color of the sauce: It packs a wallop and will be one you’ll return to as long as tomatoes are at their ripest.
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What you’ll need
Box Grater
$19 At Amazon
Large Straight-Sided Skillet
$200 At Amazon
Glass Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Colander
$15 At Amazon
Whisk
$12 $10 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 1 lb. medium pasta (such as gemelli or casarecce) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
Step 2
Meanwhile, slice a thin round off the bottoms of 2 lb. ripe tomatoes (3–4 large). Starting at cut end, grate each tomato on the large holes of a box grater into a medium bowl until all that’s left is the flattened tomato skin and stem; discard skins and stems.
Step 3
Mix 2 Tbsp. fish sauce and 3 Tbsp. white miso in a small bowl until smooth.
Step 4
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add grated tomatoes along with any liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly reduced, 5–7 minutes. Add fish sauce mixture and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Step 5
Add pasta, 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often and adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as needed, until butter is melted and pasta is coated, about 1 minute.
Step 6
Divide pasta among bowls and top with thinly sliced seasoned toasted seaweed snacks and torn basil leaves.
