Creamy goat cheese, sweet cherry tomatoes, garlic, olives and fresh basil are warmed by the heat of freshly cooked angel hair pasta. That's all there is to this wonderful summer pasta recipe with no-cook sauce.
When tomatoes are in season, things get extra exciting in the kitchen. Ripe, red, sweet and juicy, cherry tomatoes make an incredible no-cook sauce. Slice them in half to release their juices and let their natural flavor shine. The delicate strands of angel hair pasta (my favorite) get completely coated with goat cheese, garlic and herbs, creating instant fresh summer pasta sauce.
How to make Angel Hair Pasta with no-cook sauce
A little slicing and dicing and you'll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
- Get a big pot of salted water heating on the stove. While the water heats up, do your chopping and slicing.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the sauce ingredients: cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, olives, capers, garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- When the angel hair is ready, reserve a cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, dump it into the bowl on top of the sauce ingredients, and toss everything together, letting the heat of the pasta melt the goat cheese and coat the pasta.
- Serve hot, garnished with more fresh basil.
This is the type of meal I crave all summer long - big rustic concoctions using the summer's best seasonal ingredients.
More summer recipes featuring tomatoes:
Here's Angel Hair Pasta with no-cook sauce recipe. If you try this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
Recipe
Angel Hair Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes (No-cook sauce)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Angel hair pasta is tossed with cherry tomatoes, basil, olives, garlic and lemon for a wonderful fresh summer pasta with no-cook sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved (if very large, cut them into quarters)
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons small capers
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oi
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces of angel hair pasta, capellini or thin spaghetti (the thinner the better)
- 5 ounces soft goat cheese at room temperature, from a log or crumbles
- ¾ cup slivered fresh basil leaves, divided
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. While it comes to a boil, prepare the sauce ingredients.
- In a large serving bowl combine the tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and half the basil. Toss well.
- Cook pasta al dente* which will take just a few minutes so watch carefully.
- Scoop out about a cup of the pasta cooking water just before you drain it.
- As soon as the pasta is tender but still has some bite, drain it in a colander. Then immediately add the hot pasta to the bowl with the tomato-goat cheese mixture. Using 2 large forks, toss the mixture until thoroughly combined. Thin with a little of the cooking water, if desired.
- Divide pasta among 4 bowls. Scoop any remaining sauce ingredients on top. Garnish with remaining basil. Serve hot with fresh cracked pepper on the side.
Notes
HOW TO COOK ANGEL HAIR PASTA AL DENTE: Angel hair is very delicate and takes only 3-4 minutes to cook. For best results, stand over the pot, stir from time to time to prevent the delicate strands from sticking together. Test for doneness starting after 2 minutes and every minute thereafter. Angel hair will continue to cook a bit even after you drain it, so as soon as it's tender but still has some bite, drain it.
Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Category: Pasta, Dinner
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Carol
Just made this tonight. Quick and delicious! Perfect summer pasta.
Lisa
Hey Carol - I'm so glad you enjoyed the pasta!
Kathy Nasinnyk
Love this recipe, all my favorite ingredients, but I have a hard time combining the goat cheese with the pasta without getting to many clumps.
Lisa
Try leaving the goat cheese out for a half hour or so, before you add it. I hope that helps!
Joni
Could you recommend a substitute for the goat cheese? As much as I love it, my husband isn't a fan. I can't wait to try this recipe as all of your's are delicious!! Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Joni. Gorgonzola would work well because it melts easily but if that's too strong for your tastes, how about shredded whole milk mozzarella plus and a little good quality grated parmesan? That should melt well with the heat of the pasta and it'll have the flavor of pizza with fresh tomato sauce. I hope that helps!
Joni
Thank you Lisa! Gorgonzola sounds perfect but I also want to try the mozzarella and parmesan version. Love your recipes! ????
Kristin
This is so good and I don’t even mind making it! I don’t like to cook but this was simple and delicious. Had to leave out olives and capers for my family but I did not miss them. Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Kristin. I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for circling back to leave a comment.
Susan M.
Delicious, simple and love the goat cheese tang. The only thing I did differently was to blister the cherry tomatoes in a skillet beforehand. Chèvre soft goat cheese worked perfectly.
Love your recipes Lisa, thanks for so many of them!
Lisa
Hi Susan. I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the pasta. And it's great to know that you're finding some other good recipes here 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Diana Grande
Haven't made it yet but I can't wait. Sounds perfect!
Lisa
Thanks Diana! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Nicollet
I literally can't get enough of this stuff... it's December and I'm still making it. Can't get enough goat cheese and olives in my life.
Jen
Yum!! I’m making tonight!!
Lisa
Hi Jen, Yay!!! I hope you enjoy!