The BEST Pink Sauce Pasta
Another satisfying (and meatless) pasta dish, this is a cousin (sister?) to my vodka sauce. It’s made with tomato sauce blended with cream, and makes a satisfying, velvety sauce. The flavor is a perfect blend of tangy tomato sauce and rich cream, plus some parmesan and fresh basil too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Only 15 minutes of prep work, and the rest of the time is hands-off. This makes an excellent weeknight dinner! Pairs well with any protein; meatballs, seared chicken, or shrimp would all work. It’s also great as a standalone meatless option, too though! Incredible flavor and smooth texture. It’s a unique dish that truly tastes restaurant-quality! Not quite alfredo, nor is it marinara–this is the best of both worlds!
What You Need
Most of these ingredients will look familiar if you’ve made my penne alla vodka, though there are a few differences. Let’s go over the important ones before we get cooking.
Canned tomatoes. I recommend whole peeled tomatoes. Use a good quality tomato for the best flavor; San Marzano tomatoes are an excellent choice (also my preference when making tomato soup and arrabiata sauce)! Cream. Heavy cream, whipping cream, or double cream will all work. This doesn’t win you any diet points, but what it does do is balance the flavor of the tomatoes and make the sauce luxuriously creamy (without being cloyingly so). Basil. I use and recommend fresh basil, but if you can only find dried, you can use that instead. This won’t be a direct substitution; you will only need 1 ½ teaspoons if you use dried. White wine. I recommend a dry white wine like pinot grigio. For an alcohol-free version, you could try using chicken stock instead, but wine is one of the ingredients that makes this a classic pink sauce pasta. Pasta. Rigatoni is usually the pasta noodle of choice for this dish, but feel free to substitute your favorite. Penne is another great option. I like a tube-shaped noodle, the better for holding all that sauce!
SAM’S TIP: Not a wine drinker? Me neither. I like to buy a 4-pack of mini wine bottles to use for cooking, that way I don’t feel guilty about opening a whole bottle of wine for a recipe! Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pink Sauce Pasta
SAM’S TIP: Canned tomatoes with a lot of citric acid can make your pink sauce acidic. Always taste-test, and if yours is acidic, a pinch of sugar will help balance things out.
What can I serve with pink sauce pasta?
Add some protein. Chicken, shrimp, Italian sausage, etc. Any of these would be a great addition. You could also cook the protein of your choice in the pan first in some olive oil then remove it to a plate while you cook the rest of your sauce, keeping this a one-dish dinner. Up the nutritional ante. Wilt some spinach in the sauce immediately adding the pasta, a great way to sneak in more veggies! Bread. Pink sauce pasta practically begs for crusty artisan bread, sourdough bread, or breadsticks on the side 😋 Lighten things up with a side salad. A light garden salad, Italian salad, with a vinaigrette or homemade ranch dressing makes this a complete meal. Caprese salad would be another great choice!
Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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