Pink pasta sauce served over al dente pasta is on the table in under 30 minutes and will quickly become your favorite busy weeknight meal. With just a handful of ingredients, this delicious weeknight dinner is sure to be a family favorite.
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✨ Here is why this recipe is amazing:
- My son, who is not a fan of vodka sauces, loves this recipe!
- The creamy tomato sauce is a great alternative to a traditional alfredo sauce.
- While the pasta cooks, this creamy pasta recipe quickly comes together.
- Add your choice of protein to this pasta dish for an amazing main dish.
- My favorite one-pan meal to serve with a bottle of dry red wine.
🥫 Ingredients needed:
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- 8 ounces Pasta orecchiette , rigatoni, penne, bow ties, large macaroni, gnocchi or even a ravioli or tortellini.
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper flakes
- 6 ounces Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup Vodka
- 1 ½ cup Cream heavy is best, light will work
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- Basil leaves garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
📝 Ingredient notes:
- Olive oil - yes, there seems like a lot of olive oil in this sauce but trust me when I say it is WORTH IT. Not only does it cook the onions and garlic but it adds a wonderful richness to the rose sauce.
- Onion - I am using a small yellow onion but use a large shallot, a small white onion or even red onion.
- Tomato Paste - I have instructions on how to make homemade tomato paste but for this recipe, I am using help from the grocery store and using a 6-ounce can of tomato paste.
- Parmesan Cheese - I use freshly grated because I like the way it melts in this vodka sauce. If you have the pre-grated or the parmesan in the green can, that will work too.
- Cream - I use light cream in my sauce. Use the cream that speaks to your heart.
- Garlic - use fresh garlic in this recipe, I use a Microplane to make sure it is finely grated, but if you have pre-chopped garlic in a jar or garlic confit, both will work. I can teach you how to grow garlic.
🔄 Substitutions
- Tomato paste - I am using regular tomato paste but you can also use tomato paste with herbs, a can of tomato sauce, or tomato puree. If you use a tomato paste substitute, you are going to want to cook out the moisture before adding the cream.
- Pasta - I use orecchiette because they are like little pasta cups for holding the sauce. Use your favorite pasta but other good substitutions could be rigatoni, penne pasta, bow ties, elbow macaroni, gnocchi or even a ravioli or tortellini. Be sure to use a pasta shape. Not just a flat pasta. The tomato cream sauce will slide off straight pasta.
- Vodka - not everyone cooks with alcohol. If you would like to substitute vegetable stock or chicken stock for the Vodka, that would be a great swap. If you don't have vodka on the shelf, I have been known to substitute in a dry white wine.
- Protein - Add some cooked chicken, sous vide chicken breast, sautéed shrimp, cooked ground beef, seared scallops or sheet pan salmon would be delicious in this spicy vodka sauce pasta.
- Cheese - switch out the parmesan for Asiago, Romano or provolone for a little flavor variation.
- Vegetables -when cooking the onions and garlic, add in some veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, peas or asparagus to get in more vegetables.
🍝 How to make pink sauce, basic instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions, and save some of the pasta water for the sauce.
- Sautee the onions, garlic tomato paste, and red pepper flakes in olive oil.
- Whisk in the vodka and cream, whisking to combine.
- Whisk in the reserved pasta water and add the cooked pasta.
- Fold in the pasta, add the butter and stir to combine.
- Adjust seasoning and serve, garnished with chopped basil.
📷 Making pink sauce pasta, photo instructions
- Boil pasta according to the directions on the package, be sure the water is heavily salted. Reserve ½-1 cup of the pasta water for later use in the sauce.
- In a wide bottom pan heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they soften and start to take on color.
- Add chopped garlic and sauté for a minute.
- Stir in red pepper flake and tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in vodka, stirring, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in Vodka and cream. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth. It will take a few minutes but the oil and cream will start to emulsify with whisking.
- Add cheese and reserved pasta water, whisking for a minute until the color becomes consistent and rosy in color.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add to the creamy sauce.
- Stir in pasta and butter. Garnish with fresh basil.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt, black pepper and add additional red pepper flake for more heat. Serve with your favorite garlic bread and garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese (optional).
♨️ Reheating Instructions
In a microwave-safe dish reheat the pasta with a splash of water in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval and repeating until heated through.
❄️ Storage Tips
Cool the pasta completely before storing in a airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
When cooking dried pasta in water the pasta releases statch into the water. This pasta water is wonderful to add to sauces such as vodka sauce to help thin out yet maintain the viscosity of the sauce.
👩🍳 Chef Tip
If your family and friends are not a fan of spicy sauces, leave the red pepper flakes out of this recipe. Give them the option to add the red pepper flakes to their plate when you serve this amazing pasta dish.
Pink Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Pasta orecchiette, rigatoni, penne, bow ties, large macaroni, gnocchi or even a ravioli or tortellini.
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 1 small Onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper flakes
- 6 ounces Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup Vodka
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream light will work
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Basil leaves garnish
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to the directions on the package, be sure the water is heavily salted. Reserve ½-1 cup of the pasta water for later use in the sauce.
- In a wide bottom pan heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they soften and start to take on color.
- Add chopped garlic and sauté for a minute.
- Stir in red pepper flake and tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in vodka, stirring, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in Vodka and cream. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth. It will take a few minutes but the oil and cream will start to emulsify with whisking.
- Add cheese and reserved pasta water, whisking for a minute until the color becomes consistent and rosy in color.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add to the creamy sauce.
- Stir in pasta and butter. Garnish with fresh basil.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt, black pepper and add additional red pepper flake for more heat. Serve with your favorite garlic bread and garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese (optional).
Nutrition
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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Katrina says
How much Parmesan cheese do you use? I’ve searched this whole page, but I didn’t see where you said the amount.
Thank you!
Sarah Mock says
Oh my goodness!! You are so right!! That got left off of the recipe card. I am adding it in right now. 1/2 cup grated parmesan.
Sarah
Katrina says
Thank you!