This easy pink sauce pasta recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. This tomato and cream based sauce (also called rosé sauce) requires 10 ingredients and gets ready in 30 minutes.
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❤️About This Recipe
Taste & Texture: This pink sauce pasta has a rich, velvety, creamy sauce with a slight tanginess from tomatoes and a hint of sweetness from cream.
The richness and creaminess of the cream and parmesan cheese balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes.
Why Is It Called Pink Sauce?
- When pureed tomato and cream are mixed together, the sauce gets a beautiful pink hue and ends with a gorgeous orange-colored sauce.
- This pink sauce is also known as rosé sauce. Sometimes rosé sauce contains vodka in the sauce. Otherwise, the rest ingredients and flavors are the same.
You’ll Love This Pink Sauce Pasta
- Kid-friendly: This makes a delicious weeknight meal that the whole family will enjoy (even my picky eater loves this). Everyone loves pasta night.
- Hearty & Comfy Meal: This warm and cozy rosé sauce pasta makes a hearty meal when served with a side of salad or roasted veggies.
- Creamy yet light: The sauce is super creamy and rich yet the whole dish feels light on the tummy.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make a pink sauce pasta recipe.
- Pasta: Here I have used penne pasta so the sauce can cling to the ridges of the penne surface and can hold some sauce in the hollow center. Other options are rigatoni, lumachine, tortiglioni or small shell pasta.
- Onion: Use yellow or white onions as they are mild in flavor. You can use shallot here for even milder flavor.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is highly recommended. But you can use ready minced garlic from a jar as well.
- San Marzano tomato: Do not use any time of canned tomatoes. Always use a can of san Marzano peeled tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter and less acidic compared to any regular tomatoes. These characteristics of tomatoes make a huge difference in the taste and flavor of the rosé sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: As being vegetarian, I have used vegetarian parmesan cheese and not real Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Milk & Heavy cream: Here I have used full-fat whole milk and heavy whipping cream for a rich and creamy texture. You can use skimmed milk and light cream or half-half for a healthier option (keep in mind that it makes a little thin and less creamy sauce).
- Basil: I recommend using fresh basil leaves. But in the absence of it, you can use dried basil.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Do not overcook the pasta. While pasta is boiling make the rosé sauce.
1) Take san Marzano tomatoes into the food processor or a blender.
2) Make a smooth puree out of it.
3) Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onion and garlic. Sprinkle a little pinch of salt to speed up the cooking process.
4) Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onion starts to brown.
5) Add pureed tomatoes, remaining salt and pepper.
6) Mix and let the mixture come to a simmer.
7) Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan partially with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Do stir once or twice in between and make sure that the sauce is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
8) You’ll notice the sauce has thickened up nicely.
9) Now add milk and heavy cream.
10) Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
11) Add boiled, drained pasta and parmesan cheese.
12) Mix and cook until cheese is melted. Add freshly chopped basil leaves and pink sauce pasta is ready to serve.
💭Expert Tips
- Always add salt once the water comes to a boil. Salted water takes longer to come to a boil.
- Do not overcook the pasta. Follow the instruction on the package for how long to boil the pasta. Use a timer and check the pasta doneness at the shortest time recommended on the package. This means, that when the package says to boil for 8-10 minutes, I would check my pasta at 8 minutes and decide if it needs further cooking.
- Buy a block of parmesan cheese and grate it yourself right before making the pasta. Freshly grated cheese will melt nicely in the sauce compared to ready grated cheese that comes in a container.
- You can add Italian seasoning or dried oregano for a different flavor.
- You can add red chili flakes for a slightly spicy taste.
🥣 Storage Instructions
- You can make this rosé sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, heat the sauce and toss in freshly cooked pasta.
- Leftover pasta can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Because it is cream based sauce, I do not recommend freezing it. The defrosted sauce may look curdled because of the cream in it.
Check Out Other Pasta Recipes
Did you try this pink sauce pasta recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Pink Sauce Pasta (Rosé Sauce)
Ingredients
- 8 oz Dry Pasta penne, rigatoni, lumachine, tortiglioni or small shell pasta
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- ½ cup White onion or yellow, finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 (14 oz) can San marzano tomatoes
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- ½ cup Milk full-fat whole milk
- ½ cup Heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup Vegetarian parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 8 Basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions. How to: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once it starts boiling, add a big pinch of salt and pasta. Stir it once to avoid pasta sticking together. The water will come to a boil again and cook pasta as per the package instruction time (until al dente).
- Take san Marzano tomatoes into the food processor or a blender and make a smooth puree out of it.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onion and garlic. Sprinkle a little pinch of salt to speed up the cooking process. Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onion starts to brown.
- Add pureed tomatoes, remaining salt and pepper. Mix and let the mixture come to a simmer.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan partially with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Do stir once or twice in between and make sure that the sauce is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. You’ll notice the sauce has thickened up nicely.
- Add milk and heavy cream. Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add boiled, drained pasta and parmesan cheese. Mix and cook until cheese is melted.
- Add freshly chopped basil leaves and pink sauce pasta is ready to serve.
Notes
- Onion: Use yellow or white onion for mild flavor. Or use shallots for an even milder flavor.
- San Marzano tomato can is a must. Do not use a can of regular tomatoes. Because san Marzano tomatoes are sweeter and less acidic compared to regular ones.
- Full-fat whole milk and heavy whipping cream are recommended for a creamy texture. But you can use skim milk and light cream or half-half for a healthier option.
- Instead of fresh basil, you can use dried basil.
- Buy a block of parmesan cheese and grate it yourself right before making the pasta. Freshly grated cheese will melt nicely in the sauce compared to ready grated cheese that comes in a container.
- Always add salt once the water comes to a boil. Salted water takes longer to come to a boil.
- Do not overcook the pasta. Follow the instruction on the package for how long to boil the pasta. Use a timer and check the pasta doneness at the shortest time recommended on the package. This means, that when the package says to boil for 8-10 minutes, I would check my pasta at 8 minutes and decide if it needs further cooking.
- You can add Italian seasoning or dried oregano for a different flavor.
- You can add red chili flakes for a slightly spicy taste.
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