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Bon Appétit

Spaghetti with No-Cook Tomato Sauce and Hazelnuts

By Joshua McFadden
Image may contain Dish Food Meal Spaghetti and Pasta
Photo by Peden & Munk.

This raw tomato sauce gets texture from zucchini and body from toasted nuts that are blended into the base. You can sub almonds for hazelnuts.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
1 beefsteak tomato, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup basil leaves, divided
2 small zucchini (about 8 ounces), coarsely grated
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta), shaved

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

    Step 2

    Place cherry tomatoes in a large bowl; season with salt.

    Step 3

    Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, puree beefsteak tomato, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup basil, 3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth; add to bowl with salted cherry tomatoes. Add zucchini, spaghetti, pasta cooking liquid, 1/4 cup oil, and remaining 1/2 cup basil leaves and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper.

    Step 5

    Divide pasta among bowls, drizzle with more oil, and top with ricotta salata and remaining hazelnuts.

TagsPastaSpaghettiHazelnutNutCherry TomatoTomatoVegetableBasilHerbs & SpicesZucchiniSquashRicotta SalataRicottaCheeseDairyMainDinnerVegetarianQuickEasyWeeknight MealsFood ProcessorSummerBon Appétit

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