Pink Sauce Pasta is a creamy and tasty blend of tomato and cream sauce! It's quick, easy and full of great flavor. Also known as Italian rosa sauce, or rosatella, this creamy pink sauce is ready in just 25 minutes.
Serve this Pink Sauce Pasta on a busy weeknight or a slow Sunday dinner!
Tomato passata, heavy cream, white wine, and seasonings come together to create a flavorful rosatella sauce that takes pasta to the next level.
Pasta is always a good idea for a tasty dinner. It's quick, it's easy, and it's delicious!
When you want to try something new that's easy and delicious, this classic pink sauce pasta is the way to go.
What is passata?
Tomato passata is a strained tomato product. It's thicker than tomato sauce but thinner than tomato paste and has a deep red color. You can find it in the pasta aisle or near the canned tomatoes at your grocery store. Make your own passata.
Pink sauce is also known as rosatella sauce or marinara alfredo. It's a flavorful sauce that contains tomato passata, heavy cream, white wine, and seasonings. And it's pink because of the beautiful pink color of the tomato passata!
This pink sauce pasta recipe is easy to make and can be on your table in under 30 minutes!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This dish takes just 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
You can use any type of pasta you enjoy. It's great with ravioli, tortellini, penne, spaghetti, bows etc...
The ingredients are simple and can be found in any grocery store.
The flavor of the sauce is decadent yet light at the same time.
Ingredients
- Butter & Olive Oil - A combination of butter and oil is used to saute the garlic and onions while giving the sauce a rich buttery flavor.
- Garlic & Onion - These fresh aromatics pair well with the flavor of tomato in any Italian dish.
- White Wine - Gives the sauce a rich body, but can easily be omitted.
- Tomato Passata - (or puree a can of san maranzo tomatoes - do not use tomato paste)
- Seasonings - You'll need salt, black pepper, bay leaf, and dried basil to properly season and enhance the sauce's flavor.
- Heavy Cream - Makes the pasta sauce creamy and rich and also lends to its pink color.
- Grated Parmesan - Adds cheesy flavor along with thickening properties.
- Cooked Pasta Water - Use this to help create a more viscous sauce without adding any extra ingredients.
- Cooked Pasta - You can use any type of pasta you enjoy to make this easy recipe. It's great with everything from tagliatelle (as I used), or spaghetti, ravioli, gnocchi, penne, tortellini etc...
Please see the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Wondering how to make this Pink Sauce Pasta recipe? It's easy! Just follow this step-by-step photo tutorial. Then, scroll down for the recipe card for the full ingredients list and recipe method.
Cook the garlic and onion: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, cook for 5-7 minutes, and saute until soft and golden but not browned. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the sauce ingredients: To the pot, add the white wine (if using) and let it bubble and reduce for a few minutes. Stir in the passata, bay leaf, and basil, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Cook the pasta: While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions. When you drain the cooked pasta, be sure to reserve some cooking water to ‘loosen’ the rosatella sauce.
Add cream, cheese, and seasoning: Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and discard. Stir in the cream, parmesan, salt, and pepper, and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes.
Assemble and serve: Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and ½ cup (or more if necessary) of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce slightly. Serve warm and enjoy.
Top tips
If possible, use pasta that is textured on the outside and hollow in the center like pipette, gemelli, or rigatoni. This will help the pink sauce to adhere to the pasta better.
If you don't have white wine on hand, you can omit it from the recipe. The sauce will still be delicious!
If you want a thinner pink sauce, add more of the pasta cooking water to reach your desired consistency.
This pink sauce can also be used as a pizza sauce! Just spread it on your favorite pizza dough and bake according to the recipe or package instructions.
If you can't find tomato passata, use a can of san marzano tomatoes and puree them until fully blended. Do not use tomato paste as it will make the sauce too thick.
Variations
Instead of white wine, use dry vermouth or dry white cooking wine.
Make it a pink sauce pasta bake by layering the sauce and pasta in a baking dish with mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees F until bubbly and golden brown on top.
Make this pasta dish gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free pasta. Brown rice pasta and quinoa pasta are great options.
Storage
Leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat, stirring often. You may need to add a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce.
This pink sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in a jar in the fridge for up to one week. Simply reheat on the stove over low heat until warmed through.
FAQs
Passata is a type of tomato sauce that is made from strained tomatoes. It has a smooth, silky texture and is thinner than traditional tomato sauce.
Yes! This pink sauce recipe makes an excellent pizza sauce. Just spread it on your favorite pizza dough and bake according to recipe or package instructions.
In the United States, passata sauce is often called tomato puree.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Spinach Goat Cheese Pasta
- Green Pasta
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Mushroom Pasta with Butternut Squash
- Mushroom Ragu
- Brussels Sprout Pasta
- Easy Pan Fried Gnocchi
📖 Recipe
Pink Sauce Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup white wine (optional) 60ml
- 1 ½ cups tomato passata (400g) (or puree a can of san maranzo tomatoes - do not use tomato paste)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ cup heavy cream 120ml
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup pasta cooking water* 120ml
- 8 ounces pasta (225g)
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over a medium-low heat, then add the onions and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add the white wine (if using) and let it bubble and reduce for a few minutes.
- Stir in the passata, as well as the bay leaf, and basil, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Note: when draining, reserve some cooking water to ‘loosen’ the rosatella sauce.
- Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and discard.Stir in the cream, parmesan, and salt and pepper, and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, and ½ cup (or more if necessary) of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce slightly.
- Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Claudia Lamascolo
This was a big hit here and I am putting it on my menu planner to make every month we loved it!
Sharon
With this pink sauce, you don't have to choose between traditional tomato sauce or alfredo sauce. It's the best of both worlds. My whole family absolutely loved it! Thanks so mych, we'll be making it often!
gunjan
I made this pink sauce pasta for dinner yesterday and we all loved it so much. It was a flavorful hearty meal for my family.
Gina Abernathy
Easy, delicious, and fabulous flavor!