Fresh Tomato Pasta Toss

A High-Summer Pasta Sauce Built on Just-Picked Tomatoes

This pasta lives or dies on tomato quality. When summer tomatoes are at their peak, ripe and juicy and almost bursting off the vine, this dish needs nothing more than a quick saute and a splash of cream. Out of season, find another recipe.

Blanching and peeling the tomatoes is the step worth the effort. A 30-second dunk in boiling water loosens the skins so they slip right off, and removing them is what makes the sauce silky rather than chewy with bits of papery skin floating throughout.

The touch of cream at the end is what distinguishes this from a marinara. Just a quarter cup softens the tomato acidity and rounds the sauce into something glossy that coats the penne without the heaviness of a true cream sauce. The pinch of sugar plays the same balancing role.

Pro Tips

• Score an X on the bottom of each tomato before blanching. The cut helps the skins peel cleanly.
• Use fresh herbs when available, the recipe specifies them. Dried basil and oregano work in a pinch but lose vibrancy.
• Reserve a half cup of pasta water before draining. A splash loosens the sauce if it tightens up.
• Toss the hot pasta directly into the sauce off the heat. The starch helps the sauce cling.

Variations

• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the garlic saute for gentle heat.
• Stir in a handful of torn fresh mozzarella at the end for a Caprese-leaning bowl.
• Top with toasted pine nuts and extra Parmesan for crunch and salty depth.