This Pink Sauce Pasta is made with onion, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, heavy cream and lots of parmesan cheese.
This dish is so quick and easy to make. Sometimes it almost seems impossible to make a recipe that the whole family would like, but this one is a winner. This dish takes 25 minutes to make making this a quick and easy recipe. It is kid friendly as well as adult friendly.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Pasta
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato Pasta
- Can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- Red pepper flakes
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley
See recipe card for Pink Sauce Pasta quantities.
Instructions
In a large saucepan on medium heat, add olive oil and wait for it to shimmer. Combine the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes, until combined.
Add the hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Sprinkle salt and pepper and simmer sauce over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
Cook any pasta according to the instructions. Add the pasta into the sauce.
Garnish with parsley and top with parmesan.
Hint: For extra creaminess, add more heavy cream and cheese.
Substitutions
Parmesan: I use regular grated parmesan from the store. You could also grate your own parmesan too.
Garlic: You can smash the garlic or mince it.
Olive Oil: I would extra virgin olive oil for best quality and taste.
Pasta: I used cavatelli but you can use any bite size pasta.
Tomatoes: I love using whole san Marzano tomatoes and hand squeezing them before adding. It’ll give the sauce a great texture this way.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add extra chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
- Deluxe - add basil or rosemary in the sauce for a nice kick. Remove when serving.
- Kid friendly - This is as kid friendly as it gets!
Check out this Lobster Bucatini.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or frozen for up to three months.
Top tip
You can simmer for longer if you prefer a saucier base, and break up more of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Pink Sauce Pasta
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Pink Sauce Pasta is made with onion, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, heavy cream and lots of parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bite size pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (28 ounce) can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large saucepan on medium heat, add olive oil and wait for it to shimmer. Combine the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes, until combined. Add the hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Sprinkle salt and pepper and simmer sauce over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
- Cook any pasta according to the instructions. Add the pasta into the sauce.
- Garnish with parsley and top with parmesan.
Notes
I love using whole san Marzano tomatoes and hand squeezing them before adding. It’ll give the sauce a great texture this way.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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