Weeknight Dinner Gone Gourmet

A close cousin to to penne alla vodka, pink sauce pasta is made with a velvety smooth tomato cream sauce. Just a few minutes of hands-on time for restaurant-quality flavor!

Print the Recipe: https://sugarspunrun.com/pink-sauce-pasta/

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons (28 g) butter salted or unsalted
1 (140 g) medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅓ cup (80 ml) dry white wine or chicken broth
28 oz (793 g) whole peeled tomatoes
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
16 oz (453 g) uncooked rigatoni pasta
⅓ cup (27 g) grated parmesan cheese + more for serving
¼ cup freshly sliced basil or 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
Additional parmesan and fresh basil for topping optional

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Instructions
00:00 Introduction
00:25 In a large saucepan or pot over medium heat, heat oil and butter until the butter has melted.
00:50 Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened (about 3-5 minutes).
01:19 Add garlic and stir, cooking until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
01:50 Add tomato paste, salt, thyme, and pepper and stir well.
02:45 Slowly pour in wine (or broth), scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula to loosen any browned bits. Cook until liquid is reduced by about half.
04:00 Add whole tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with your spatula as you cook.
04:30 Slowly drizzle in cream, stirring until well combined.
04:55 Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer sauce to a blender and puree in batches, then return to the pot.
05:23 Reduce heat and simmer sauce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After about 15 minutes, begin to prepare pasta (this will give you about 30 minutes of simmering total, which is ideal for this dish).
05:31 Prepare pasta. Cook pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of pasta water (you likely will not need all of it, just save extra in case, it’s also nice to store and add a splash if reheating leftovers the next day).
06:05 Add drained pasta, cheese, and basil along with ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir well and cook over low heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce has thickened and coats the noodles. If needed, add more pasta water, a splash at a time.
06:57 Serve immediately, garnished with additional grated parmesan cheese and torn fresh basil leaves, if desired.

Notes
Tomato acidity
Canned tomatoes can vary in degrees of acidity. Always taste-test your sauce as it simmers, if yours seems acidic, add a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to save some of the reserved pasta water on the side, then reheat the pasta on the stovetop with a splash of the pasta water to rehydrate it and keep the sauce creamy and smooth.

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