Nici Wickes: Easy no-cook pasta sauces

Fresh is best! Here’s some ideas for some pasta sauces that doesn't need cooking and are absolutely delicious. They great to make when you’re having a fridge clean out or if, like me, you have lots of straggly plants still clinging on in the garden – basil, rocket, tomatoes, capsicums etc. 

Tomato & herb pasta sauce 

• Use the very best quality of tomatoes you can find for this, as well as good olive oil. 
• 3-4 medium tomatoes or 1 cup cherry tomatoes 
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled 
• Small handful of basil or parsley, chopped 
• ¼ tsp dried oregano 
• Decent splash of olive oil 
• ½ tsp sea salt & decent pinch or grind of pepper 

Use a box grater to grate the tomatoes into a bowl, leaving the skins out. Do the same with the garlic, using the smaller holes of the grater for this. 

Stir in chopped herbs, olive oil and seasoning. Leave to sit for 15 minutes then taste and season more if needed. 

Green pasta sauce 

This is THE BEST way to get a decent dose of greens into you! 

• Few big handfuls of fresh spinach 
• Basil, rocket, mint, parsley – any or all 
• ¼ cup grated parmesan 
• ½ tsp sea salt 
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes 
• Squeeze of lemon or capful of vinegar 
• Decent glug of extra virgin olive oil 
• Water to loosen 

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, drizzling in oil and water if needed, until you have a bright green pourable sauce. Taste and season more if needed. 

Lemon & olive oil pasta sauce 

This is simplicity at its best and best kept for when lemons are in season. 

• ¼ cup lemon juice 
• ¼ cup grated parmesan or crumbled feta 
• Good quality olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to season 
• Chilli flakes optional 

Stir the lemon juice and cheese together then start whisking in enough olive oil to bring it together as a sauce – up to half a cup. Season and stir through hot spaghetti. 

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