Description
Make the popular creamy pink sauce pasta, also known as Rose Sauce or Salsa Rosa. This recipe combines marinara and heavy cream for a rich, quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound pasta (penne or rigatoni recommended)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce or marinara
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the tomato sauce or marinara. Stir in the dried oregano and red pepper flakes, if using. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream until the sauce turns a uniform pink color.
- Stir in the 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the sauce. Toss to coat completely.
- If the sauce seems too thick, add the reserved pasta water, one splash at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately, topped with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use a high-quality marinara sauce as the base.
- You can add cooked protein like shredded chicken or shrimp to make this a complete meal.
- To make this sauce vegan, substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream, and use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 30
- Saturated Fat: 18
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 18
- Cholesterol: 75