If you are not in the mood to cook when it’s so hot outside – don’t.  Try this pasta with an easy but delicious ‘no cook’ sauce made from sun ripened tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano, garlic and olive oil.  It sounds simple and it is, but it is divine.  Let the flavors ruminate on the countertop for about an hour and stir into cooked pasta and you’ve got a winner!  I posted this recipe last summer but decided it’s worth reposting as it is a favorite of mine and a definite go-to, especially when it’s hot or I have lots of tomatoes to use up.  I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Charleston, South Carolina and my return trip took an extra day due to inclement weather on the East Coast (although it was 102 in Charleston so it was hard to imagine it storming somewhere else), so I’m beginning my week behind schedule.  That is why this week there is no Meatless Monday or Wheatless Wednesday, just a yummy old favorite, but I don’t think you will be disappointed.  I promise a write up of my Charleston trip and some classic southern food very soon!

Regardless, I came home from my trip just in time for the NBA Playoff Finals and knew a group was soon to arrive to watch the game.  I had no time to go shopping but luckily my garden is doing well this year, so far.  I went out to my garden and gathered  sun ripened tomatoes. I love them when they are so aromatic and still warm from the sun.  You don’t have to have a garden to enjoy wonderful fruits and veggies though.  Right now tomatoes are in abundance at supermarkets and farmer’s markets.  If you’re not sure they are ripe enough, just let them sit on your counter or in your windowsill for a day or two.  Just don’t store them in the refrigerator, as they won’t ripen and their skins will get tough.

Then I stopped by my vertical herb garden which I conveniently installed right next to my kitchen door.  Why I haven’t done this until now, I will not understand.  I absolutely love my herb garden!  It used to be that I would skip the fresh herbs because I was too lazy to walk all the way up to my vegetable garden to clip them.  Now I have no excuse and my food is graced with even more lovely fresh herbs than before.  There are many vertical gardens out there but mine is the Gronomic Cedar Vertical Self Watering Planter from Williams Sonoma. Check it out: Gronomic Vertical Planter

I chopped the tomatoes and herbs, added some minced garlic, a pinch of salt and a dollop of olive oil and let it sit on the counter while everyone was beginning to arrive.

I lucked into an unopened container of fresh mozzarella, so cut it into a small dice and stirred it into the tomato mixture. However, this step is competely optional.  The sauce is quite good without adding any cheese.   It was already beginning to transform itself into a wonderful sauce.  Mmmm!

If you have leftover pasta, you don’t even have to cook that.  Just allow it return to room temperature.  When you’re ready to serve, pour tomato sauce over hot, warm or cold pasta and stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan if you wish.  Enjoy!

For the complete recipe, click HERE or Search Goodmotherdiet for Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil