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This 30-minute pink sauce pasta recipe has an irresistibly silky tomato and cream sauce! Everyday ingredients are elevated in this pasta dish, and it’s a total showstopper.

Try my Best Penne alla Vodka or Tomato Goat Cheese Pasta for more delicious creamy tomato pasta recipes.

a bowl of rigatoni pasta with pink sauce, parmesan, and basil

Why you’ll love it

Also known as rose sauce, this pink pasta sauce is a delightful blend of tomatoes with heavy cream, resulting in a distinctive pink color and a rich, velvety texture. It has the perfect balance between the tanginess of tomatoes and the smoothness of cream.

This pink sauce for pasta is both comforting and indulgent, so it’s definitely a company-worthy dish with the elegant touch of white wine! It’s also a fast meal with simple ingredients, so treat yourself any old weeknight. It’s similar to my Super Easy Creamy Tomato Pasta yet upgraded.

What you’ll need

  • Pasta – I prefer a tube-shaped pasta like rigatoni or penne for all the luscious sauce to coat it
  • Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
  • Onion – sweet (Vidalia) are my go-to
  • Italian seasoning – it’s a convenient blend of dried herbs that gives so much flavor to sauces and soups. It comes all in a single jar.
  • Garlic – for more savory flavor
  • White wine – choose one you would actually drink, not cooking wine. A dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio is best.
  • Tomato paste – use a good-quality tomato paste as it is an important component of the recipe. I like to buy the ones in a tube. Mutti and DeLallo are my personal favorites.
  • Heavy cream – for the luxurious quality of the sauce
  • Parmesan – a pop of cheese to top it all off
ingredients for pink sauce pasta in prep bowls

Tools for this recipe

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How to make pink sauce pasta

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

sauteing onions in a skillet and making pink sauce for pasta

Cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté the onion along with the Italian seasoning until lightly browned. Add in the garlic followed by the wine, and let it bubble for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cream.

adding parmesan and rigatoni to a skillet with pink pasta sauce

Let it bubble gently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the parmesan. Add the drained cooked pasta, and toss well. Give it a taste, season with salt & pepper, and enjoy.

Helpful tips

  • Grating parmesan cheese yourself from a block is important since it tastes and melts much better.
  • Keep in mind that cream sauces thicken a bit as they cool (like after you dish it up), so you don’t want to cook the sauce down too much.

Substitutions and variations

  • Don’t sub the cream! Lower fat alternatives are liable to curdle with the acidity of the tomatoes, and it won’t taste as intended.
  • The wine gives this sauce tons of elegant flavor, so I don’t recommend skipping it, but if you have to, subbing for chicken broth or vegetable broth should be ok.
  • If you want the sauce to be more herby, double the Italian seasoning. I like it having just a hint of herbaceous flavor.
  • Some cooked shrimp, salmon, or chicken could be thrown in (or top your plate with it) at the end if you’re looking to add some protein.

What to serve with pink sauce pasta

Leftovers and storage

  • This creamy tomato pasta will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered container.
  • Reheat slowly in a saucepan over a low heat for best results. I suggest boiling up fresh pasta when you’re ready to eat if you know you’ll have leftover sauce.
  • I don’t recommend freezing leftovers. It will likely change the texture of sauce.
a cast iron skillet with pasta and a pink sauce

If you made this creamy pink sauce pasta, please leave a star rating and review! Ask me any questions you have. Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made any of my recipes.

a bowl of rigatoni pasta with pink sauce, parmesan, and basil
5 from 4 votes

Easy Pink Sauce Pasta

This 30-minute pink sauce pasta recipe has an irresistibly silky tomato and cream sauce! Everyday ingredients are elevated in this pasta dish, and it's a total showstopper.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 8 ounces uncooked pasta rigatoni or penne preferred
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 small onion chopped finely
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste see note
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Boil a large, salted pot of water and cook your pasta al dente according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and Italian seasoning. Sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
  • Stir in the garlic, then add the wine and let it bubble for about 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the tomato paste and cream until smooth. Let the sauce bubble for about 5 minutes or until thickened up a bit.
  • Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.
  • If the sauce has become too thick, thin it with a little bit of the hot pasta water prior to draining it. Drain the cooked pasta, add it to the skillet, and toss. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.

Notes

  • If you’re feeding four hungry people who will eat more than 2 oz pasta each and no side dishes, I recommend doubling the recipe.
  • Use quality tomato paste! For this dish, I use the kind sold in the tubes (DeLallo and Mutti both make great ones). 
  • I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something lower fat as it may curdle due to the acidity of the tomatoes, and you will end up with a thinner and more watery sauce.
  • You will have the best results if you buy a block of parmesan cheese and grate it yourself.

Nutrition

Calories: 578kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 414mg, Potassium: 405mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1410IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 177mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    A family favorite quick sauce that has so much more depth of flavor than jarred sauce. And made from pantry staples!

  2. 5 stars
    This was SO delicious. I was expecting it to be like vodka sauce but it was much different in a very good way. So rich and creamy and velvety. I used half of the amount of cream called for (we doubled the recipe and only used 1 cup) and it was perfect. We also topped basil. Will definitely make again!