Pink Sauce Pasta Recipe

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.

What is Pink Sauce Pasta?

Pink sauce is a blend of tomato sauce mixed with a little bit of heavy cream. This cream could be any milk you prefer, like almond or oat milk. I love using heavy cream for the real stuff. The sauce has a perfect tangy taste to it.

Pink Sauce 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.

How to make Pink Sauce Pasta

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.

What kind of Pasta should I use for Pink Sauce?

I love using any kind of bite sized pasta. This can be cavatelli, bow ties or penne. You can use any pasta you prefer though, like angel hair, spaghetti or linguini.

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.

Pink Sauce Recipe 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!

How to store Pink Sauce Pasta

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 Recipe

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• Author: Maxine Dubois
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This Pink Sauce Pasta is made with onion, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, heavy cream and lots of parmesan cheese.

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Ingredients

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• 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

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Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
4. Cook any pasta according to the instructions. Add the pasta into the sauce.
5. 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

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.