Box Grater Tomato Basil Sauce

Okay…so I’ve been wanting to try this kitchen magic ever since I saw it online. The only ingredient I was missing was fresh Basil, so when I got by the supermarket I picked up a little Basil plant!  You can have a look at my online inspiration from Food and Wine HERE.

You know how trying to replicate online recipes, crafts, etc goes. Hey what could go wrong!? Well I am delighted to report that this one is a keeper!

First I put a large pot of water on the stove to boil for my spaghetti. Be sure you add a couple TBS of olive oil. You will be draining the water, but no rinsing so your pasta stays nice and steamy!  The olive oil keeps it from sticking together. 😊

Once I got the pasta going I had 8 minutes to assemble my ingredients and make my fresh tomato basil sauce. Here’s all you need:

You’ll need a box grater (though I’m sure any large grater will do the job) and a bowl to catch the grated tomatoes. I used three fresh garden tomatoes, olive oil, Basil and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Then came the fun part! I sliced each tomato in half and grated each one down to the skin. It was amazing! It worked just like the video as you can see here:

Well my skins aren’t quite as thin but I was worried about my knuckles. (I’m not allowed around sharp things in the kitchen without supervision! 😀) 

Next I took a hand full of fresh Basil leaves and chopped them gently, and added them along with two to three TBS of olive oil. Whisk it all together and add the salt and pepper and voila! Homemade garden fresh tomato basil sauce that you don’t even have to cook! (NOTE: While I followed the basic recipe from the video tutorial, in retrospect I’m thinking that there is a lot of potential here to add other ingredients like pressed garlic or finely chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc. Let your imagination run wild!)

All this with a few minutes to spare until my pasta was al denté!

After draining the water from my pasta, I put it in a large bowl and added the sauce.

A quick toss and it was ready to plate. Of course I have to add one more thing to any pasta dish…a few sprinkles of shredded Parmesan cheese…

But I have to tell you, it was fantastic! Light, tomato-y, basil-y goodness. I may never use a jarred pasta sauce again! Well I might, but when you’re trying to find something creative to do with all those fresh tomatoes from your garden, this fits the bill! You should try it. It is super super easy and dinner is served in a snap! Mangia!