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Cold Sauce (No-Cook Sauce)

by:
July  7, 2010
4
2 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is an old family recipe. Always looked forward to the summer months when basil grew like crazy. This sauce is not cooked and served cold over hot spaghetti, don't know why but spaghetti seems to be the best pasta with this sauce. This sauce should be made at least 1 day in advance so flavors can better marry together. I recently found this sauce also makes a wonderful pizza sauce. Wonderful home cooked dish for a quick supper, served with a salad, after a hard days work or play. Please enjoy. - Roxanne DeRosa —Roxanne DeRosa

Test Kitchen Notes

Almost as easy as opening a jar of premade sauce, but much more delicious and versatile. I used a 750 ml box of Pomi crushed tomatoes and cut the rest of the ingredients to 1/3 (1 cup basil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 TB olive oil), and that seemed about right. For the garlic; I smashed 2 cloves and let them sit in the sauce overnight, then fished them out the next day -- this gave the sauce a garlic essence without overpowering it. However, raw garlic lovers could just mince up the cloves and keep them in the sauce. It certainly was nice to put everything together the night before and not heat up the kitchen. —drbabs

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Ingredients
  • 1 10 can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 cups packed fresh basil
  • 7 cloves garlic or more
  • 1/3 cup extra vigin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound spaghetti
Directions
  1. Use a food processor to finely chop basil or it can be done by hand. In a large bowl empty the canned tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix these ingredients together and refrigerate over night. When you're ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and add oil, stir well. In the meantime, cook the pasta al dente, drain and add the sauce. The hot pasta will warm the cold sauce. No cheese please...it's not needed. This recipe makes enough to make 2 complete dinners, or keep remaining sauce in the fridge for your pizza's.
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15 Reviews

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Smaug August 29, 2016
If basil is in season so are tomatoes- why on earth would you make something like this with canned tomatoes, which always taste like can until they've been cooked a bit?
melissa July 20, 2016
any ideas on whether you can freeze this?
AntoniaJames July 13, 2016
NB: The recipe says to use a #10 can of tomatoes, which is 6 pounds and 6 ounces. That appears to be a mistake, because that would put almost thirteen ounces of sauce on each serving of pasta. I use two "large" (28 ounces) of San Marzanos for this, and it seems to be the perfect ratio of basil, etc. to tomatoes. I also add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes have too much "bite." ;o)

The variations suggested in the comments sound excellent! ;o)
Bridget L. June 25, 2016
My sister-in-law is Sicilian and does a similar and delicious version of this recipe. Whiz everything in the blender with the addition of some raw almonds and pour over the hot pasta. No overnight refrigeration required. Fresh plum tomatoes work the best.
Basil G. January 12, 2015
I've been making a variant of this for years- add salty olives and garlic, purée the whole sauce, and stir it over hot spaghetti. The pasta just sucks the sauce right up, and the whole thing is done in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the noodles.
SebCooksFortLaud November 2, 2012
WOAH! This is amazing! This will definitely become part of my repertoire. In Florida I am always looking for ways to cook but not be stuck in the kitchen! :) Soooo easy!!!
yulia K. October 20, 2011
Done it!
Awesome dish!
Krootie July 6, 2011
This was a regular "cold" side dish on the salad bars of Elby's back in the 1970 - 90s. Always put it on my plate. Can't wait to make some.
carlbezanson July 5, 2011
What is "#10 can crushed tomatoes"? A 28 ounce can?
darksideofthespoon October 28, 2012
I know this is very late, but #10 can fill a gallon. I'm making this recipe right now with a 28oz can and will probably use 1/3 of the garlic, olive oil, and basil.
drbabs July 19, 2010
Also had this for lunch today as a sauce for dymnyno's zuccaghetti--it was really good!
drbabs July 19, 2010
I made this over the weekend--as I was getting the ingredients together, I realized that a #10 can of crushed tomatoes contains 12 cups (!). So I used a 750 ml box of Pomi crushed tomatoes and cut the rest of the ingredients to 1/3 (1 cup basil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 TB olive oil), and that seemed about right. I also started with 1/2 tsp. salt and 6 turns of freshly ground black pepper for the overnight refrigeration. Roxanne doesn't tell us what to do with the garlic; I smashed 2 cloves and let them sit in the sauce overnight, then fished them out the next day. This gave the sauce a garlic essence without overpowering it. However, raw garlic lovers (not me) could just mince up the cloves and keep them in the sauce. I found that the oil blended in better if I let the sauce come to room temperature first. Roxanne recommends pouring it cold over hot spaghetti. I thought that it cooled off the pasta too much, even at room temperature. It benefitted from being warmed slightly. The sauce certainly comes together easily and is a good base for whatever you like in a pasta (or pizza) sauce. The variations are endless--saute some onion in the oil before mixing it into the sauce; some chopped oregano and parsley from the garden; add some red pepper flakes and/or some minced anchovies; stir in a little ricotta cheese. In this hot weather, it was nice to have prepared sauce the night before and not have to heat up the kitchen.
drbabs July 15, 2010
Do you leave the garlic cloves whole? Chop them? Slice them?
theicp July 12, 2010
Never heard sauce prepared this way, but it totally makes sense. Would be great for a dinner al fresco!
AntoniaJames July 7, 2010
Sounds great! Have never thought to do this, but it makes great sense. And it's perfect for the hot weather. Yummmmm. ;o)