A Summer Pasta Recipe With An Easy No-Cook Sauce

This summer pasta recipe is easy to prepare with a no-cook sauce and makes the most out of the in-season tomatoes and amazing Caciotta cheese.

This Cold Pasta Salad Recipe Is Perfect In The Heat

The heat here in Rome is getting a little oppressive, so I wanted to find a summer recipe that wouldn’t heat up the house too much, but was still a delicious meal and this summer pasta recipe, known as Pasta alla Checca, really meets all of my requirements.

I came across this recipe while watching a YouTube channel I like, called: Pasta Grammar, and I was excited to try it. The tomatoes that I can buy at my local market are perfectly ripe, and the only cooking I will need to do is boiling some pasta, so I gave it a try and I was really satisfied with the results. If you give it a try, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Recommendations For An Italian Summer Pasta Salad

The Pasta Sauce

The Checca in this recipe refers to the sauce, which is an uncooked tomato sauce used with hot pasta. Pasta alla Checca is a pasta dish from the Lazio region, which is home to Rome.

It uses fresh, uncooked and ripe tomatoes, a soft and melting cheese, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Even though the sauce isn’t cooked, it does heat up a little from the heat of the pasta.

What Type Of Pasta For This Recipe?

It seems like most dried pastas will work with this recipe, but what I’ve seen most recently used are spaghetti, penne rigate and even a mixture of small pastas. I used the Misto Corto by Molisana because I wasn’t able to find the recommended Insalata di Pasta. Stick with the dry pasta and you can’t go wrong.

Cheese Recommendations

The recommended cheese for this recipe is Caciotta, which is a creamy, semi-soft cheese from central Italy, made from the milk of a sheep, cow, goat or water buffalo. It melts well with the minimal heat from this recipe, but is not too strong or overpowering.

If you are unable to find this cheese, and unless you are in Italy you may have trouble, the best substitute would be a fresh Mozzarella cheese. It has a similar softness, subtle flavor and it melts well, so don’t worry if you can’t find Caciotta.

Summer Pasta Recipe

• Difficulty: Easy

• Prep Time: 20 mins

• Cook: 15 mins

• Servings: 4

Summer Pasta Ingredients

• 1 lb. (500g) of very ripe Tomatoes
• 8 oz (250g) of Caciotta Cheese (or Mozzarella Cheese)
• 1 lb. (500g) of dried pasta (mixed, Spaghetti or Penne Rigate)
• 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon of dried Oregano
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cooking & Assembly Instructions

1. Put a pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
2. Slice the tomatoes into small pieces. I prefer to remove the seeds and dice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch pieces, but this is up to how you prefer your tomatoes.
3. Dice the Caciotta (or Mozzarella) cheese into 1/4 inch cubes.
4. Add tomatoes and cheese to a large mixing bowl and combine well with the salt, pepper, dried oregano and olive oil.
5. Taste the mixture for correct seasoning and adjust as necessary.
6. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
7. Drain the pasta, add to the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of pasta water to loosen it up a little.
8. When it is fully mixed, it is ready to serve. Add to your serving dish and grate some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.
9. Serve immediately.

Recipes Great For The Summer