Recipes Ingredients Pasta and Grains Quick & Easy Pasta Recipes 13 No-Cook Pasta Sauces You'll Be Making on Repeat This Summer By Frances Kim Frances Kim Website Frances is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 4, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Marcus Nilsson Want to beat the heat but still get a satisfying dinner on the table? Make one of our quick and easy no-cook pasta sauces. They're all made with the freshest ingredients, and you'll only need to turn on the stove to boil the noodles. We think they're the ultimate summer dinner for those days when you don't feel like grilling. How we make dinner during the summer is a little different than the rest of the year. Notice we say "make dinner" because sometimes it just feels too hot to cook. Grilling helps—it gets us out of the kitchen and supplements all those crisp salads made with gorgeous seasonal produce. But there's no denying the draw of pasta, and at least once a week we like to enjoy a pasta dinner; that's when these no-cook sauce recipes come in handy. We're talking no-cook tomato sauce, as well as classic and out-of-the-box pestos. Then there's our Pasta with No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce, pictured here, that's made with ripe juicy tomatoes, green olives, capers, and garlic, then finished with Pecorino Romano. And there's lots more where those came from. Perhaps you make pesto on the regular while your basil plant flourishes in the heat or the bunches of herbs at the farmers' market lure you in every time? It's one of the best no-cook sauces around, but take that herb-nut-cheese idea and expand it by trying Silician pesto which swaps in bell pepper, tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and raisins for the basil and creates a vibrant orange sweet-and-sour sauce for spaghetti. No matter which recipe on our list calls out to you, we're sure you'll be making these no-cook pasta sauces all summer long. 01 of 12 Pesto Basil's fresh flavor is the highlight of this simple pesto. Mixed with toasted pine nuts, garlic, and two grated cheeses—Parmesan and Pecorino Romano—the herb forms a bright sauce that shines when it's served with your favorite pasta. View Recipe 02 of 12 No-Cook Tomato-Tuna Sauce with Spaghetti Con Poulos To make this easy sauce, simply combine chopped tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and basil in a big bowl on the counter, and let it sit until the flavors meld and the ingredients break down a bit. Add tuna and plenty of grated Parmesan when you toss the sauce with just-cooked noodles. View Recipe 03 of 12 Carrot-Hazelnut Pesto Johnny Miller Raw carrots, toasted hazelnuts, garlic, pecorino cheese, and olive oil make a vibrant orange sauce that's as flavorful as it is colorful. Top with more hazelnuts for the perfect amount of crunch. View Recipe 04 of 12 Caprese Pasta Hans Gissinger Transforming Caprese salad into a pasta dish is astoundingly easy. Just toss your favorite noodle with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, chunks of burrata or mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil. View Recipe 05 of 12 Creamy Smoked Salmon Sauce We've turned our favorite bagel toppings into a spectacular vehicle for bow-tie pasta. Simply combine hot farfalle with red onion, cream cheese, fresh dill, and smoked salmon. View Recipe 06 of 12 Fresh Tomato Sauce Marcus Nilsson Ripe plum tomatoes, fresh basil and parsley, chopped garlic, and olive oil come together in a delicious raw sauce for spaghetti. Finish with Parmesan cheese for a truly delightful dish. View Recipe 07 of 12 Goat Cheese Sauce Con Poulos Combine goat cheese with pasta water for a light, creamy sauce that's perfect for coating spaghetti. Baby spinach, fresh parsley and cilantro, lemon zest and juice, and toasted walnuts complete the dish. View Recipe 08 of 12 Sicilian Pesto Bryan Gardner Not familiar with pesto that isn't green? This Sicilian version is a riot of flavor and texture, thanks to the combination of red bell pepper, tomatoes, anchovies, capers, raisins, almonds, and Parmesan cheese. View Recipe 09 of 12 Penne Rigate with Arugula-Almond Pesto Johnny Miller Upend your pesto routine with the winning flavor combination of arugula, almonds, garlic, lemon, and Parmesan. View Recipe 10 of 12 Walnut Cream Sauce Toasted walnuts, garlic, and heavy cream form a rich, buttery sauce for spinach linguine. Toss with more walnuts and plenty of Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley before serving. View Recipe 11 of 12 Tomato-Bell Pepper Sauce Marinate colorful cherry tomatoes and bell peppers in a mixture of oil, red-wine vinegar, and garlic for just 20 minutes, and you'll be rewarded with a delectable sauce for shells. Top with fresh basil and creamy ricotta. View Recipe 12 of 12 Lemon-Mint Sauce Pasta water is the secret ingredient in this super light no-cook sauce. Just mix it with Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, fresh mint, olive oil, and red-pepper flakes. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit