Best Pink Sauce Pasta

This pink sauce pasta is made with a blend of tomatoes and creamy cream sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, garlic, and delicious spices.

I love making this dish for my family and friends because it's quick, uses simple ingredients, and is so delicious and filling. This is the perfect weeknight dinner.

This pasta dish is also known as a rose pasta sauce. It is basically the same thing.

If you like easy and delicious pasta recipes, check out our smoked mac and cheese, greek pasta salad, pesto pasta bake, and our chickpea pasta salad.

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• What is pink sauce?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Faq's
• Storing
• Freezing
• Reheating
• Substitutions
• Variations
• 📖 Recipe

Why this recipe works

• When you need a quick meal with minimal effort.
• Is awesome when you are craving a deliciously creamy and cheesy pasta dish.
• It is so delicious and filling and will satisfy your pasta craving.
• Tastes like a restaurant pasta dish.
• The perfect weeknight dinner!

What is pink sauce?

Pink sauce is made with a simple combination of tomato sauce and alfredo and cream sauce. It is basically a creamy tomato sauce. It is very easy to prepare and can be served with ravioli, fettuccine, spaghetti, etc.

Ingredients

Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.

Full measurements are in the recipe card below.

Cooked pasta- we used penne pasta in this recipe, but you can use any kind of pasta that you’d like.

Mozarella- we used store-bought grated mozzarella cheese, but you can use fresh mozzarella cheese, or grate it yourself.

Garlic- you will need about 2 garlic cloves for this recipe. we use fresh garlic and grate it by hand. We do not recommend using store-bought pre-grated garlic, because it usually has less flavor.

Spices- we love a combination of chili flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, and salt.

Olive oil- we used extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.

Onion- we used a medium-sized white onion for this recipe.

Milk- use your favorite milk. We used whole milk.

Heavy cream- we used heavy cream in this recipe to make the pasta extra creamy and cheesy.

Tomato sauce- we used a simple store-bought marinara sauce, but you can use crushed tomatoes as well!

Parmesan- you will need grated parmesan cheese.

Instructions

In a large pot over high heat, add the water, salt, and pasta, and cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions.

Drain and wash the pasta with cold water to prevent it from overcooking.

In a large skillet, on medium heat, add olive oil, and the onions, and cook them until they are lightly golden brown.

Add the minced garlic and tomato sauce and mix well.

Add the dried oregano, dried basil, chili flakes, and kosher salt. Then add the heavy cream and milk and mix well until combined.

Add the mozzarella and parmesan cheese and mix over medium heat until the cheeses have melted.

We used a hand blender to make the sauce smoother.

Add the al dente-cooked pasta and mix well.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and extra parmesan and serve!

Expert Tips

• Make the pasta in salted water. this will make sure that the pasta flavor isn't flat. add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water.
• Cook the pasta to al dente. to stop the pasta from turning soggy from the juices, cook the pasta al dente. this step will keep your pasta dish fresh and delicious.
• Rinse the pasta with cold water when it's ready! This step ensures that the pasta will remain al dente and won't continue to cook.
• Use fresh ingredients! this pasta bake is the perfect vegetarian dish for any occasion!

Faq's

Storing

Store this pasta dish in the fridge. Cover it with a plastic wrap tightly or place it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Freezing

If you would like to freeze this pasta dish, you totally can! Simply make it according to the instructions, let it cool to room temperature, and either place it in an airtight container, or cover it with plastic wrap. Freeze up to 2 months.

Make sure that you are using a freezer-friendly container.

Reheating

Reheat this pasta dish either in the microwave in small portions, of the whole dish in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Substitutions

Vegan- It is very easy to make this recipe vegan, simply replace the cheeses and heavy cream with vegan cheese and heavy cream.

Whole grain- You can use any kind of your favorite pasta kinds and pasta shapes., like chickpea pasta, brown rice pasta, spinach pasta, quinoa pasta, etc.

Gluten-free- you can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. Simply follow the instructions as written. Also, replace the flour with gluten-free flour.

Variations

Chicken- If you want extra protein in your pasta dish, you can add cooked chicken, grilled chicken, and shredded chicken, and simply mix it with the rest of the ingredients and bake according to the instructions.

Seasoning- use your favorite variations of spices. Some of our favorites are Italian seasoning, everything bagel seasoning, paprika, onion powder, chili flakes, etc.

More main dishes

Garlic pizza- Its made with our homemade pizza dough that is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, topped with garlic and butter sauce, mozzarella, chili flakes, and dries basil.

Vegetable soup with couscous- This is the absolute best vegetable soup recipe, It’s healthy, delicious, and satisfying. 

Cottage pie- This meal is made by making a savory mixture of ground beef, topped with creamy mashed potatoes, topped with cheese, and baked to perfection.

Greek chicken gyros- These Greek chicken gyros are made with the best marinade that we like to use for all kinds of recipes. 

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📖 Recipe