A cold summer pasta with ripe tomatoes, olives, and basil, adapted from The Italian Summer Kitchen and inspired by a Crested Butte cookbook night.

I made this at a Cookbook Club night hosted by the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte, where my friend Missy and I joined a room full of neighbors cooking our way through The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita by Cathy Whims and Kate Lewis. Each month the Center picks a themed cookbook, and this one was all about an Italian summer — bright, fresh dishes, several of them adapted on the fly since our small mountain grocery stores doesn’t always carry everything a recipe calls for.

I chose Pasta alla Checca because I wanted that refreshing, cold-pasta contrast of ripe tomatoes, olives, and basil. I’d planned to make both a traditional wheat pasta and a gluten-free version, but between a late afternoon swim in a high alpine lake (I have a very hard time saying no to mountain water) and realizing the event started earlier than I thought, I only had time for the all-purpose flour version. It came together quickly, and the combination of juicy summer tomatoes with good olive oil and basil was exactly the refreshing dish I was hoping for.

The whole evening was a genuinely lovely night in this community — meeting neighbors old and new, everyone bringing a dish from the same book, and sharing a table full of good Italian food. It also brought back memories of Sunday meals with an ex-boyfriend’s Italian mother, whose love for food came through in everything she made, including canning the taste of the garden called Giardiniera.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Refreshing, cold-pasta take on classic Italian tomato and basil flavors
• Comes together quickly once your tomatoes are prepped
• Great way to use a big batch of peak-summer tomatoes
• Naturally vegetarian, easy to make vegan by skipping any cheese garnish
• A wonderful make-ahead dish for a warm evening

Why Pasta alla Checca, Now?

This is peak tomato season, and this dish is built entirely around letting that fresh produce shine with almost no cooking involved. It also fits the hydration focused, lighter eating trend of summer with a cold, refreshing pasta instead of something heavy and hot. While still delivering real flavor from good olive oil, garlic, and basil rather than leaning on anything processed to get there.

Which diet is this Pasta alla Checca suitable for?

Vegan – Yes – use your favorite pasta with it.

Gluten-free – Yes with gluten-free pasta, see Lively Life’s version second recipe.

Dairy-free – Yes

Egg-free  – Yes

Nut-free – Yes

Vegetarian – Yes.

Paleo and Keto friendly – Yes without pasta – it’s a fresh salad.

Quick to make!

ENJOY!

Ingredient Notes

I used Kalamata olives in place of the Taggiasca or Gaeta olives the recipe suggests. Any good quality briny olive works well here. For heat, I went lighter on the red pepper flakes since I was serving a crowd with different spice preferences, use more if you like it hotter, or swap in a finely chopped fresh chile like jalapeño or serrano. Pair this with the (Homemade All-Purpose Flour Pasta, with second Gluten Free Pasta option) recipe, or use your favorite store-bought linguine if you’re short on time.

Nutrient Spotlight

Tomatoes — rich in vitamin C and lycopene, an antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color.

Olive oil — a source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Basil — contains antioxidant compounds and a good dose of vitamin K. Wow, I love the flavor of basil!!!

Garlic — long used in traditional cooking for both flavor and its natural antioxidant compounds.

Olives — provide healthy monounsaturated fats along with a dose of vitamin E.

Step-by-Step Instructions (with Full Recipe below)

1. Chop or halve the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl.
2. Salt generously and let sit for about 15-20 minutes so they release their juices, you can gently push the tomatoes to let juice release.
3. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, olives, and ¾ cup of the torn basil (reserving the rest) to the tomatoes. Toss gently and let marinate while you prepare the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta according to your recipe or package instructions until al dente. Pasta can be any style, I used linguine.
5. Toss the warm pasta with the tomato mixture.
6. Finish with the remaining ¼ cup fresh basil.
7. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, all work beautifully with this dish.

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Pair this with:

Greek Salad with Healthy Eats:

• Homemade All-Purpose Flour Pasta or Gluten-Free Pasta
• Buttered Sage Eggplant
• Greek Salad with Red Wine Vingeratte
• Butternut Squash Salad
• Gluten-free MEATLOAF without Breadcrumb
• 2 ingredient Easy & Quick Pizza!
• Alaskan Crab Legs – Can Cooker Style
• Greek Inspired Smash Burger Tacos
• For more Healthy Eats ideas!

Greek Salad follow with Healthy Treats:

• Double Chocolate Truffles – with coconut cream! so dreamy!
• Almond/ Peanut Butter Cookies! made with almond flour – gluten free!
• Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies
• Chocolate Ganache Bonbon
• Fluffy Light Cookies – with Chocolate Chips!
• Orange Fennel Twist Appetizers! OR Cheesy ‘Green Chile’ Twist Appetizer
• Meringue Cookies – light and crisp
• Raspberry Banana Coconut Nice Cream (no dairy ice cream)
• Banana Pecan Ice Cream – vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free!
• For more Healthy Treats ideas!

FAQ

Q. Can I make this ahead of time?
A. Yes — the tomato mixture actually benefits from sitting and marinating a bit longer. Toss with the pasta closer to serving time for the best texture.

Q. Is this keto-friendly?
A. Not as written, due to the pasta, though the tomato-olive-basil topping alone would work well over a low-carb alternative like spiralized zucchini.

Q. Can I use a different pasta shape?
A. Yes — linguine is traditional here, but any pasta shape you have on hand works.

Q. What olives work best if I can’t find Taggiasca or Gaeta?
A. Kalamata olives work well as a substitute, which is exactly what I used.

A Holistic Nutrition Tip

This dish is a great example of how a handful of peak-season ingredients : ripe tomatoes, good olive oil, fresh basil, need very little else to become something genuinely satisfying. Letting the tomatoes sit with salt before tossing isn’t just a flavor step; it’s what makes the dish taste like it took more effort than it did.

A note on this recipe: This dish is adapted from The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita by Cathy Whims and Kate Lewis, made at a Cookbook Club night hosted by the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte. If you’re a local, their Cookbook Club is a wonderful way to spend an evening. Check their culinary arts page for the next featured book. And if this dish speaks to you, the cookbook itself is full of beautiful, approachable Italian recipes worth picking up.

Similar or best sides with:

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