Grated Tomato and Miso-Butter Pasta

It turns out that the best no-cook pasta sauce…is a little bit cooked. There’s a reason classic marinara takes an hour on the stove, or tomato paste (itself a long-cooked and deeply concentrated tomato product) is such a beloved sauce ingredient—tomatoes are simply better when their bright, acidic sweetness hangs out in a hot pan for a while. But peak summer tomatoes are close to perfect straight from the farmers market, and the last thing I want to do on a hot evening is spend hours stirring a bubbling pot of sauce. So to get the best of both worlds, we’re making a deeply savory tomato pasta that’s extremely fast and almost no-cook.

For this recipe you won’t even need to break out a knife and cutting board; all of the prep action happens with a box grater. Grating tomatoes creates a juicy pulp that’s fresh and vegetal—cook that down in a high-sided skillet (to catch any spatters; a Dutch oven works too) for just a few minutes, then add fish sauce and miso for a one-two punch of powerfully savory flavors (and also all the salt you’ll need, which is why you won’t find any here). The pasta gets finished off with black pepper and butter, which combines with the miso to create a velvety texture. Don’t be fooled by the pale color of the sauce: It packs a wallop and will be one you’ll return to as long as tomatoes are at their ripest.