5 Ingredient No Cook Tomato Sauce

Sugo di pomodoro crudo AKA no cook pasta sauce!

Of the many ways to use fresh tomatoes, I have recently fallen in love with one more: no-cook tomato sauce! And let me tell you, this simple 5-ingredient red sauce is one of the best ways to celebrate summer’s bounty of fresh tomatoes. Don’t get me wrong, I will always make my hearty, well-simmered homemade spaghetti sauce or oven-roasted tomato sauce. But this uncooked tomato sauce (also known as sugo di pomodoro crudo, or just pomodoro crudo) is just the thing when you’re craving pasta but don’t feel like spending the time at the stove. Plus it’s refreshing and can be used in many ways–including as a topping on hefty artisan bread. If you can imagine a cold tomato soup, you can totally imagine a no-cook tomato sauce, especially when it’s flavored with things you may already have on hand including good extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and dried oregano. Plus, it takes only 10 minutes or less of active work. For best results, once you season freshly grated tomatoes, you’ll let them sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. That’s all it takes to make pomodoro crudo. And once you make it, you’ll find many uses for this raw tomato sauce. You can toss it with freshly cooked penne, spread it on your pizza dough, or use it as a topping for some blanched asparagus. If nothing else, just enjoy it bruschetta-style, simply spread on some good bread!

Ingredients you need to make it

With a few pantry staples, you can have uncooked pasta sauce in a flash! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Fresh ripe tomatoes – Roma, on-the-vine, or slicer tomatoes would work. And because this raw tomato sauce relies heavily on the taste of the tomatoes for its flavor, try to find the best quality tomatoes that you can. Garlic – I use 2 to 3 cloves of peeled garlic, but if the taste of raw garlic is too much for you, reduce to 1 clove. No need to mince or chop the garlic – it gets grated directly into the sauce. Parsley – 1 cup of fresh chopped parsley adds bright color and freshness, as well as a peppery bite to the sugo di pomodoro crudo. Dried oregano – A generous amount of oregano adds earthiness and a hint of minty flavor. Extra virgin olive oil – You’ll want to use the best quality olive oil possible for this sauce, since the freshness of the ingredients means there is no way to disguise a poor-tasting EVOO. I like our Italian Nocellara extra virgin olive oil here, with its aroma of freshly picked tomatoes.

How to make no cook tomato sauce (pomodoro crudo)

This raw tomato sauce takes just 10 minutes of prep, and then rests for 30 minutes. I like to set my bowl of tomato sauce in the sun. The sun helps the flavors meld together faster, but you can also simply set the bowl on the kitchen counter. Here’s how to make no-cook tomato sauce:

Grate the tomatoes. Wash 1 ½ to 2 pounds of ripe tomatoes and place them on a cutting board, stem side down. Make a shallow X-shaped cut at the top of each tomato to help the skin peel off as you grate. Set a box grater in a large bowl and grate the tomatoes into the bowl. Be careful and use a good grip on the tomatoes so they don’t slip out of your hands while grating. Once the tomatoes are grated, discard the peels or chop them up to use later. Make the no-cook tomato sauce. Grate 2 to 3 peeled garlic cloves into the bowl with the tomatoes. Follow that with 1 cup of fresh chopped Italian parsley and 2 teaspoons dried oregano. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and set the sauce aside for 30 minutes or so. This allows the salt to coax tomato juices out for a good sauce, and lets the herbs and oil infuse it with flavor. Cook the pasta and serve. While the fresh tomato sauce rests, cook the pasta of your choice according to package directions until al dente. After straining it, immediately add the hot pasta to the sauce and toss. You can also add a spoon or two of starchy pasta water to the tomato sauce to make it more silky and to help it cling to the pasta better. Serve immediately, while the pasta is warm.

Leftovers and storage

Fresh uncooked tomato sauce can be stored in the fridge in a tightly closed Mason jar for 3 to 4 days. Add a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top of the tomato sauce, then close the jar well before storing in the fridge. The olive oil will act to seal the tomatoes – an extra layer of protection. Allow the leftover sauce to return to room temperature before serving. To freeze, pour the no cook tomato sauce into freezer safe bags or containers. It freezes well for 2 months.