There are evenings when even the most passionate cooks don't feel like turning on the stove, dirtying pots, or waiting too long to eat. In these moments, quick pasta sauces are the ideal solution: simple recipes, ready in minutes, and perfect even without cooking. With cold pasta sauces, you can bring a fresh, flavorful, and light first course to the table. Just choose quality ingredients, good extra virgin olive oil, and perhaps some aromatic herbs or tasty cheese. Here are 10 quick pasta sauce ideas that will save you time without sacrificing flavor.
Quick and Light Sauce Recipes
Easy and quick sauce recipes are perfect for those looking for practicality but don't want to give up the pleasure of good food. From vegetable-based condiments to fresh pestos, there are many quick and light sauce options suitable for every need and palate. Pasta with quick sauces is ideal for a summer lunch, a practical lunch break, or a last-minute dinner. With a few ingredients and a pinch of creativity, you can create quick pasta sauces that will please everyone!
Tomato and Pepper Sauce
Let's start with one of the great classics among quick pasta sauces: tomato and pepper sauce. After slicing ripe tomatoes and letting them drain for about ten minutes, blend them with an equal amount of cleaned red peppers, a sprig of parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese. Adjust by adding olive oil in a stream, salt, and pepper.
Minced Pine Nuts, Almonds, Olives, and Capers
For a more refined version of the classic pesto, here is a quick pasta sauce that will leave you speechless for its simplicity and taste: minced pine nuts, almonds, olives, and capers. Chop green olives, black olives, and desalted capers and, coarsely, pine nuts and almonds. Add about fifteen halved cherry tomatoes, a pinch of salt, a drizzle of oil, and a few basil leaves to the mixture.
Sauce with Julienned Vegetables and Fresh Tuna
If you are looking for a quick pasta sauce but want to taste the flavor of the sea, here is the procedure for preparing the sauce with julienned vegetables and fresh tuna. Dice the tuna and marinate it in oil, lemon juice, and chives. Julienne 3 carrots and 3 zucchini and, if you like, some very thinly sliced chives. Prepare a sauce by blending a zucchini, a few mint leaves, 3 tablespoons of oil, and a pinch of salt. When the pasta is ready, add it to the sauce, mix, and then add vegetables and tuna, adjusting with oil, salt, and, if you want, dill.
Leggi anche: Ricette di sughi con salsiccia
Trapanese Pesto
Want a pasta with quick sauces alternative to the usual pesto? Here's how to prepare the famous Trapanese pesto, perfect for the warmer season. Blend abundant basil leaves, half a clove of garlic without the skin, grated pecorino cheese, almonds, and fresh cherry tomatoes. Add oil according to the desired consistency.
Sauce with Bread Crumbs, Anchovies, Raisins, and Pine Nuts
For those looking for quick pasta sauces with a strong and Mediterranean flavor, this is a perfect recipe. Soak the raisins in water and add them to the pine nuts (preferably toasted in a pan to enhance their aroma). Add coarsely grated stale bread crumbs, made crispy in a pan, and anchovies in oil. A pinch of salt and pepper, and your pasta with quick sauces is ready to be served.
Spinach Sauce with Dried Fruit
Among the quick pasta sauces, this spinach sauce with dried fruit is a fresh, flavorful, and very easy to prepare choice. A simple but surprising recipe, to be added immediately to your list of pasta sauce ideas. Also excellent as an alternative to classic pestos, it is one of the best delicious sauces for fresh pasta to prepare without cooking. Wash the spinach and blend it with walnuts, almonds, grated pecorino cheese, and a little lemon juice. Add extra virgin olive oil in a stream to obtain a creamy consistency and, if you like, a touch of garlic.
Soft Cheese Sauce, Curry, and Speck
For a quick pasta sauce with an exotic and original taste, try this soft cheese sauce, curry, and speck. Vigorously mix spreadable cheese, adding curry powder little by little. When the consistency is very creamy, add the speck, raw or browned according to your taste.
Caper and Pistachio Pesto
An idea with an intense and aromatic taste for your quick pasta sauces? Try this raw sauce, ready in a few minutes and perfect for giving a Mediterranean touch to your first courses. Insert this pesto among your recipes for summer sauces: this condiment stands out among the most delicious pasta sauce ideas. Ideal with short, wholemeal or egg pasta, it is a creative choice for those who want to vary without complications. Grind the desalted capers together with some fresh mint leaves, a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, unsalted pistachios, a clove of garlic and, for those who love spicy food, a sprinkling of chilli pepper. Pour the extra virgin olive oil in a stream, working the mixture until you obtain the desired consistency. The result is a quick pasta sauce, rich in taste and perfect also to be served cold.
Leggi anche: Pasta Fredda Veloce
Tomato and Aromatics
A recipe among the great classics of quick pasta sauces that never gets boring and never ceases to amaze. Cut some tasty tomatoes into slices and let them drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Blend them with abundant basil, chives and thyme, in addition to two tablespoons of oil and salt. You will obtain a pink, sweet sauce with Mediterranean flavors.
Celery, Gorgonzola and Walnuts
The last idea but not for importance and especially for originality: a quick pasta sauce based on celery, gorgonzola and walnuts. Cut the celery into rounds, chop it together with the walnuts. Before serving the pasta, put some cubes of gorgonzola on the bottom of the plate; once you add the pasta you like best, season with the mixture, a drizzle of raw oil and plenty of pepper.
Leggi anche: Pasta con Sugghi Vegetariani