This Italian pink sauce pasta is made with simple ingredients and is a delicious and fresh creamy tomato sauce. It's the perfect balance of acidity from the tomatoes and creaminess of half & half. It's also the perfect base for grilled chicken, meatballs, or mushrooms.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You'll only need a handful of ingredients for this easy pasta dish.
- The sauce is simple and fresh and easily made on a busy weeknight.
- It's a slight variation on traditional tomato sauce with the addition of a little half & half to create a beautiful pink color.
- You can serve it with a variety of different meats like grilled chicken, meatballs, or mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil
- White onion
- Minced garlic - fresh garlic is a key ingredient for this delicious pasta sauce, don't swap it for garlic powder.
- Can of San Marzano tomatoes - we love the flavor of San Marzano tomatoes. They are fresh and light and create the perfect pink pasta sauce. They are whole tomatoes, so you will use a wooden spoon to break them up as they simmer to create crushed tomatoes.
- Kosher salt
- Cottage cheese or half & half - you can use cottage cheese or half & half for this recipe. You can also use heavy whipping cream if you would like a creamier sauce.
- Fresh grated Parmesan
- Penne pasta noodles - penne noodles and rigatoni are our favorite noodles for this dish, but you can use a different type of pasta. If you want to take this dish to the next level, fresh pasta would be amazing!
- Fresh basil leaves - we don't recommend dried basil, fresh basil is key!
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Large sauce pan
- Large pot
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cutting board and knife
- Blender or immersion blender
- Cheese grater
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are slightly softened.
Add the minced garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, up to 30 minutes if time permits.
While the sauce is simmering, fill a large pot with water and season generously with salt. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the water the pasta was cooked in in case you want to thin the sauce at all.
When the sauce has simmered for at least 10 minutes, use a blender or an immersion blender to blend the sauce to a smooth consistency. If you use a blender, make sure the cap of the blender lid is off to let hot steam escape or else the top of the blender may fly off from the steam when you blend.
The next step will differ depending on if you are using cottage cheese or half & half.
If you are adding cottage cheese: Add the cottage cheese to the blender with the blended sauce and blend until smooth. Once the sauce is blended, add it back into the pan if you used a blender and add the parmesan and basil. Stir until combined.
If you are adding half & half: Once the sauce is blended, add it back into the pan if you used a blender and slowly add the half and half, parmesan, and basil. Stir until combined.
Stir until combined.
Add the pasta to the sauce and if it is too thick for your liking, add a small amount of pasta water at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve hot with more basil and extra parmesan cheese on top if desired.
Tips & Variations
- If you like a little spice in the creamy pink sauce, feel free to add red pepper flakes.
- Serve with meat of choice like grilled chicken and meatballs, and garlic bread and a simple salad.
- Use the reserved pasta water to create the consistency you prefer. Add a splash of pasta water at a time.
FAQ
You can store leftovers in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months.
Make this recipe gluten-free with the use of gluten-free pasta. We recommend Jovial noodles or Banza pasta.
Make this recipe dairy-free and vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese and substituting the half & half for plain unsweetened non-dairy creamer.
If you like this easy pink sauce pasta, check out a few of our other easy pasta recipes:
If you make this Italian pink sauce recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Italian Pink Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1, 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
- 16 oz penne noodles
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese OR half & half
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan + more to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are slightly softened.
- Add the minced garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, up to 30 minutes if time permits.
- While the sauce is simmering, fill a large pot with water and season generously with salt. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the water the pasta was cooked in in case you want to thin the sauce at all.
- When the sauce has simmered for at least 10 minutes, use a blender or an immersion blender to blend the sauce to a smooth consistency. If you use a blender, make sure the cap of the blender lid is off to let hot steam escape or else the top of the blender may fly off from the steam when you blend.
- The next step will differ depending on if you are using cottage cheese or half & half.If you are adding cottage cheese: Add the cottage cheese to the blender with the blended sauce and blend until smooth. Once the sauce is blended, add it back into the pan if you used a blender and add the parmesan and basil. Stir until combined.If you are adding half & half: Once the sauce is blended, add it back into the pan if you used a blender and slowly add the half and half, parmesan, and basil. Stir until combined.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and if it is too thick for your liking, add a small amount of pasta water at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve hot with more basil and Parmesan on top if desired.
Notes
- Feel free to swap the half & half for heavy cream.
- Make this recipe gluten-free with the use of gluten-free pasta. We recommend Jovial noodles or Banza pasta.
- Make this recipe dairy-free and vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese and substituting the half & half for plain unsweetened non-dairy creamer.
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Pink Sauce Pasta."
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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Sara Nielsen
Just made this for dinner! Lemme tell ya it was a major hit! We love pasta and this is a fave now!!
Begin With Balance
Yay! Thanks for letting us know:)