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21 No-Cook Pasta Sauce Recipes for the Hottest Days

Because now is not the time for a low-and-slow Bolognese.
Chilled TomatoPeanut Noodle Salad in a white bowl on black and white marble surface
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi

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In the summer months, when the produce is so fresh (and the kitchen is so hot), it’s best to keep cooking to a minimum. We have plenty of recipes that require minimal heat, like Gingery Tomato Bruschetta and Charred Asparagus and Dates With Goat Cheese. And some of our favorite pasta sauces—like tomato-peanut and miso pesto—involve no cooking at all. A bowl of slurpable noodles reliably hits the spot when it’s humid as can be and you want to avoid the oven at all costs.

Start with these 21 recipes. Many of the sauces come together in the time it takes for pasta to cook, so you can get back to enjoying the great outdoors, or the also great air-conditioned indoors—whatever floats your boat. Note, some of the recipes (like this classic pesto) call for you to turn on the oven to toast nuts. Use the hot weather as an excuse to opt for pre-toasted nuts at the supermarket, or leave the nuts raw for a more delicate flavor.

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    3/21

    Ramen Noodles With Miso Pesto

    One reader from Toronto says these verdant noodles are “sooooo good! Great way to use leftover greens. I already can’t wait to make this again.”

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk
    4/21

    Spaghetti with No-Cook Puttanesca

    This sauce delivers the same intense flavor as the cooked classic with in-season tomatoes, crushed Castelvetrano olives, briny capers, and a flurry of fresh parsley.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou
    7/21

    Easy Peanut Noodles

    Chances are you have most of the ingredients for this refreshing noodle dish in your pantry right now—like peanut butter, rice vinegar, and honey or maple syrup.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Nicole Louie
    8/21

    Broken Lasagna Pasta Salad

    Shattered lasagna noodles cook into soft sheets that happily absorb this zingy vinaigrette. Because it’s vegan, it’s also totally picnic-friendly.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
    13/21

    White Pesto Pasta

    Built of toasted nuts, creamy ricotta, and salty Parmesan, you don’t even need a food processor to make this riff on the normal pesto you know and love.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    14/21

    Basil Pesto

    A list of no-cook pasta sauces wouldn’t be complete without a classic basil pesto. It’s an excellent way to use up that basil that grows like a weed during the sunniest months.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    15/21

    Dilly Beet Noodles

    Using precooked beets, which are available at most grocery stores, keeps you from turning on the oven to make this pretty-in-pink pasta sauce.

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  • Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Judy Kim.
    16/21

    Big Queer Cold Noodles

    This quick peanut sauce is refreshingly bright thanks to black vinegar. The egg takes mere minutes to cook, but if you want to streamline, try thinly sliced fresh yuba instead.

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While she started in corporate finance, Carly soon made the leap into restaurants and never looked back. She spent time at lauded NYC restaurants Via Carota and Eleven Madison Park before moving on to the pastry kitchens at three Michelin-starred SingleThread Farms and [Quail &... Read more
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