Stanley Tucci's favorite pasta

Savor Summer with Stanley Tucci’s 5-Ingredient Pasta and Simple No-Cook Sauce

You’ll want to make this pasta every night. Seriously.

When Stanley Tucci thinks about his go-to summer ingredients, he immediately says, “Tomatoes and basil.”

If you ask him about a simple summer recipe, these two stars are front and center.

After all, he got us hooked on “zucchini spaghetti,” so we know his pasta game is strong. When he recommends a dish, we listen.

This dish features cold tomatoes marinated with garlic and olive oil.

Just before tossing them with the pasta, he adds salt.

The magic happens when the hot pasta meets the cold tomatoes.

“The hot pasta, in essence, sort of starts to cook the tomatoes in the bowl,” Tucci explains. “It’s so simple. And you have the cold tomato and the hot pasta. It’s incredible.”

This recipe isn’t new for Tucci. He recalls eating it with his parents back in the ’70s and ’80s.

Summer Sundays were all about this dish, and he loved every bite.

Tucci carried this recipe into adulthood.

He remembers making it when he first moved to New York and was short on cash. It was the perfect meal for a budget.

Plus, his girlfriend at the time loved it too, so it became a regular dish.

Although this five-ingredient meal shines on its own, Tucci suggests a couple of sides to elevate it.

“Try a veal chop,” he recommends, “or maybe some sea bass.”

Try Stanley’s recipe yourself!

  • 3-4 plum or Roma tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 8 ounces dried pasta
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 ounces of crumbled goat cheese or ricotta cheese, optional
  • Lemon zest, optional
  1. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, and basil.
  2. Let mixture marinate in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
  3. Cook pasta and drain.
  4. Salt the marinated tomatoes (to taste). Toss with the cooked pasta.
  5. Serve topped with cheese and lemon zest – and enjoy!