The Best Pink Sauce Pasta
This easy Pink Sauce Pasta is a cross between alfredo and a traditional tomato sauce. The dish comes together in less than 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight dinner. Don’t forget some wine and fresh garlic bread. Total comfort food!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 571kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter*
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot diced finely*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes*
- ⅓ cup dry white wine*
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 pound dry rigatoni pasta*
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese plus more for serving*
- fresh basil leaves for serving
Instructions
- Over medium heat in a large pan, add the butter, shallot, and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and chili flakes. Sauté for 60 seconds or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping all of the brown bits off the bottom.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer. Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the package in salted water, while the sauce simmers.
- Stir in the heavy cream and increase the heat to medium.
- Once the heavy cream begins to bubble, stir in the parmesan.
- Reserve some pasta water. Drain pasta and toss with the pink sauce. Add pasta water as needed to thin the sauce.
Notes
- Unsalted Butter: Swap the butter for olive oil.
- Shallot: Swap for ½ of a small yellow or red onion.
- Red Chili Flakes: Omit or reduce to ½ teaspoon for less spice.
- White Wine: I like to use sauvignon blanc because it is dry and citrusy. You can swap the wine for vegetable or chicken broth.
- Rigatoni Pasta: Swap for 1 pound of any short cut pasta, like fusilli, penne, or farfalle. You can also use gluten free pasta.
- Parmesan Cheese: Shredded or grated parmesan both work, just be sure it is fresh.
- Salt the pasta water. Add a few spoonfuls of salt to the water. This will help enhance the flavor of the pasta and sauce.
- Do not over cook the pasta. Follow the instructions on the package for how long to boil the pasta. Always set a timer. I usually start with the shortest time recommended and usually subtract another minute because I like my pasta al dente. Example: boil for 12-14 minutes, I would boil the pasta for 11 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 571kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 681mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g