No one wants to turn on the stove to make tomato sauce in the summer.  And, while the tomatoes are ripe, it’s the best time to try your hand at a fresh, uncooked tomato sauce.  All of the ingredients in this sauce are raw.  The only thing you need to cook is the pasta — the heat of which will help bring these raw ingredients to life and create a “sauce”!

The beauty of this dish is that it can be made in less than 30 minutes.  And, you can decide what type of pasta works for your diet.  I used a multi-grain pasta, but you can use  any type of pasta that meets your family’s needs (just be mindful that not all pastas will translate well once cooled, such as corn pasta which may get gummy).

That being said, you can serve this pasta hot or cold — although I prefer eating it warm.

Summer Pasta with Fresh Tomato & Arugula

Serves 4-6 people, dinner portion

3 cups of chopped tomatoes (I used three medium-sized vine tomatoes)2 cups of arugula, chopped10 basil leaves, chopped1/2 cup of olive oil2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar2 cloves of garlic, crushedsalt and pepper, to taste1, 1 lb box of penne pasta  (my box was just under 1 lb and it worked perfectly fine!)

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

In the meantime, chop the tomatoes, arugula and basil and add to a large serving bowl.  Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and crushed garlic in a separate small bowl, creating a dressing.

Cook pasta according to directions, remove once it is cooked al dente and drain in a colander.  Add cooked pasta, while still warm, to large serving bowl with tomatoes, arugula and basil.  Top with dressing and toss to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Enjoy!