Rose Pasta Recipe (Pink Sauce Pasta)
This rosé pasta recipe (pink sauce pasta) is a great combination between a tomato sauce and a creamy sauce. This pink pasta is made with fresh cherry tomatoes, cream, and parmesan cheese. It’s a simple yet delicious dish, loved by children and adults alike.
If you’re looking for simple flavors made with a few high-quality ingredients, this rose sauce recipe with fresh tomatoes is the perfect pasta dish for any weeknight dinner or family meal. It’s creamy, indulgent, yet very simple to make, making it a staple in many households.
How to Make Rose Pasta: Video Recipe
Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the best pink pasta recipe.
Prefer the written recipe? Scroll down to the recipe box 👇
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Popular and Loved: This creamy rose pasta recipe has over 500k views, and 7k likes on YouTube! Check also my YouTube channel for more recipe videos.
- Simple Ingredients: You only need a few high quality ingredient to make this amazing pasta dish.
- Easy to Make: With a few key steps, you can make an incredible pasta sauce that will be far superior to any jarred sauce.
- Vegetarian: This rose pasta sauce is completely vegetarian and can be also made vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free with small changes.
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the pink tomato sauce in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to use it.
What is Rose Pasta
Rosè pasta, or Pasta Rosa in Italian, is a classic homemade pasta dish made with cream and tomato sauce, with the addition of Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. It’s a classic staple dish in many households, especially with kids, because it’s easy to make and very flavorful when tomatoes are in season.
You can make it as easy as using jarred tomato sauce as a base, or make it even more delicious by creating a flavorful tomato sauce with onion, garlic, and cherry tomatoes as in this recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
This cherry tomato rose sauce is a perfect pasta sauce for any occasion, that both kids and adults will love, but you can also make some changes to customize it to your preferences.
- Pasta: Short pasta is more commonly used for this sauce, like penne or fusilli, but feel free to use any pasta shape you prefer, like spaghetti or rigatoni.
- Vegan: You can make this rose pasta vegan and dairy-free by using plant-based cream, cheese, and butter. You can also try my cherry tomato pasta for a lighter version.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta to make this sauce gluten-free.
- Spicy: Add some chili pepper flakes to the sauce to give it a spicy kick.
- More veggies: Add some roasted red peppers, carrots, or parsnips to add more veggies to the sauce.
- Meaty: You can separately cook some Italian sausage or pancetta and add it in the end to the sauce.
Tips and Tricks
- Use tomatoes when they’re in season for the best flavor.
- Make sure the pasta water is salted enough and that the pasta doesn’t overcook. Follow the packaging directions as each pasta shapes cooks a different time.
- Use good quality ingredients to achieve the best result.
- Use fresh basil, garlic and onion, instead of dried ones for the best flavor and texture.
- Cook the sauce low and slow to get the best creamy and flavorful tomato sauce with the right amount of sweetness and acidity.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can make the pink sauce ahead of time. Let it cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove with pasta water before adding the freshly cooked pasta.
You can also store leftovers with pasta in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat on the stove on in the microwave, thought the pasta will lose some texture.
More Pasta Recipes
If you enjoyed this pink pasta recipe, check out also these other simple pasta recipes:
Rose Pasta Recipe (Pink Sauce Pasta)
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz (300 g) Pasta of your choice
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 Onion chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves crushed
- 35 oz (1 kg) Cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) Cream
- 3-4 Basil leaves Chopped
- â…“ cup (30 g) Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add halved cherry tomatoes or chopped regular tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 10 minutes over heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cook for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, keep the lid on. If the mixture is too thick, add 1/4 cup of water.
- When the sauce is almost ready: fill a large pot with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil. When boiling add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking: To the sauce add cream, chopped basil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add drain pasta to the sauce, turn the heat off and toss. Serve!
Video
Notes
- Watch the Video Recipe – For a better understanding of the recipe, I recommend watching the step-by-step video tutorial. It will guide you through the cooking, and texture of the rose sauce to help you achieve the best results.
- Check the FAQs – If you have any questions about ingredient substitutions, cooking methods, or storage tips, be sure to check the FAQs section located under the recipe card.
- Make-Ahead & Storage Tips: Make the pink sauce ahead, cool completely, and store in an airtight container—up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat gently with pasta water before tossing with fresh pasta. Leftovers (with pasta) are kept in the fridge for 4 days but may lose texture when reheated on the stove or microwave.
- Cream: To make the best creamy tomato pasta you can use heavy cream (32%-35%), which makes a super-rich pasta. You also can use half&half (10%-125) which makes a lighter version of rose pasta. Or, you can use any kind of cream that contains at least 12% fat.
- Tomatoes: in this recipe, I used cherry tomatoes, as they give a unique flavor, but you also can use Roma tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, marinara, or just a canned tomato sauce.
- Make sure the pasta water is salted enough and that the pasta doesn’t overcook. Follow the packaging directions as each pasta shape cooks at a different time.
- Low heat: Cook the sauce low and slow to get the best creamy and flavorful tomato sauce with the right amount of sweetness and acidity.
Nutrition
Common Questions
In this recipe I made this pink sauce pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes, but if you short in time you can use store bought tomato sauce. Just use 500-600 grams (1 lb) of tomato sauce. First cook and onion and garlic, then add the sauce and simmer it for 3-4 minutes, then just add cooked pasta as described in the recipe. You also can use homemade tomato sauce that was made ahead of time.
To make the best creamy tomato pasta you can use heavy cream (32%-35%), which make a super-rich pasta. You also can use half&half (10%-125) which make a lighter version of rose pasta. Or, you can use any kind of cream that contains at least 12% fat.
Rose pasta at its best at the day of preparation. But you can keep the pasta in the fridge, covered up to 4 days and reheat before serving.
Is it necessary to cream in this recipe?
Yes. You can’t totally skip the cream but you can add 1&1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream and more cheese if you’re short of cream.
Please can you give the nutritional information for the sauce alone?
I made it and was creamy and delicious. thanks for the recipe.