• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Easy Sauce Recipes logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Easy Sauce Recipes
  • Sauce Recipes
  • About Easy Sauce Recipes
  • Contact
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Pasta Sauces

    Pink Pasta Sauce

    Published: Apr 30, 2023 Modified: May 8, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

    Share
    Pin
    Tweet
    Email

    Easy Sauce Recipes is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    My Pink Sauce recipe is creamy, cheesy, and perfect for pairing with pasta of all kinds. Enjoy pink pasta sauce with ham, sausage, pork, chicken, or steak pasta using your favorite noodles. Ready in 20 minutes or less!

    pink sauce pasta in a blue handle pan
    Jump to:
    • Pink Sauce
    • Pink Sauce Recipe Ingredients
    • Pink Sauce Pasta
    • Pasta Pink Sauce Recipe Tips
    • Pink Sauce for Pasta FAQs
    • Pasta Sauce Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Pink Sauce

    I have been making tomato cream sauce pasta for my family for years, and can tell you it is always a hit! My kids love this recipe, and it's such a staple for our household, I can't wait to serve it to my grandkids.

    That's part of what makes this Italian pink sauce recipe truly special - you can count on it to be a comforting, delicious, and easy pasta sauce your own family will love. It's hearty and filling while remaining light and creamy at the same time.

    The best part about pink sauce pasta is you can change the protein based on what your family prefers. Mine loves this dish with ham or sausage, but you can use chicken, steak, or even simple vegetables.

    pink pasta in a pan with parsley and paremsan on top

    Pink Sauce Recipe Ingredients

    • Pasta noodles of choice (I used elbow macaroni noodles)
    • Butter
    • Minced garlic or garlic paste
    • Italian sausage, mild or spicy; or, diced ham
    • Tomato sauce
    • Half & half
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Parsley
    ingredients for pink pasta sauce on a table

    Pink Sauce Pasta

    1. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions.
      pouring pasta into boiling water
    2. Add half a stick of butter to a skillet over medium-high heat and melt.
      melting butter in pan for pink pasta sauce
    3. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, being careful not to burn it.
      adding garlic to butter in pan
    4. Add Italian sausage, ham, or meat of choice. For sausage, break it up into tiny pieces using a wooden spoon and cook until browned. For ham, cook until it is browned and begins to "pop" in the pan. For all other meats, cook through completely and to desired doneness before moving on to the next step.
      cooking sausage in a pan for pink pasta sauce
    5. Once meat is done cooking, add tomato sauce and stir until well-blended.
      sausage in a pan with tomato sauce
    6. Lower the heat. Gradually pour in half & half while stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is well-blended.
      pouring half & half into sausage and tomato sauce
    7. Add in your cooked pasta, then mix in Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Once fully mixed, top with parsley if desired, and enjoy!
      parmesan cheese added to pink pasta in pan

    Pasta Pink Sauce Recipe Tips

    • You can use any meat you like. If using chicken or steak, cook in strips or cubes and make sure the meat is cooked through before adding sauce ingredients. Season the meat as desired before cooking, but test salt levels before adding more.
    • Cook pasta so it is just slightly underdone because it will continue to cook when you add it to the sauce.
    • Add the half & half gradually, not all at once, and only after lowering the heat. If you add the half & half too quickly, it may curdle.
    • Break up any chunks of Parmesan as you add it to the sauce.
    sprinkling parmesan onto pink sauce pasta

    Pink Sauce for Pasta FAQs

    What is pink pasta sauce?

    Typically, pink pasta sauces use a mixture of cream and tomato sauce. Pink pasta sauce is a tomato cream sauce using olive oil, garlic, tomato sauce, chicken stock, half & half, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and parsley.

    What is the difference between pink sauce and vodka sauce?

    Although vodka cream sauce and pink pasta sauce are both tomato cream sauce recipes, vodka sauce uses vodka, while pink sauce is an alcohol-free sauce using chicken stock.

    Can you make pink sauce pasta without heavy cream?

    You can make pink sauce without heavy cream by using half & half or even milk. The texture will be thinner if using milk, but you can thicken it as you like with additional cheese or by adding a roux.

    Pasta Sauce Recipes

    • Alfredo Sauce
    • Leek Sauce
    • Mushroom Sauce
    • Avocado Pasta Sauce
    • Pea Sauce for Pasta
    • Garlic Sauce

    📌 Pin it for later!

    Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!

    Pin

    📖 Recipe

    pink sauce pasta up close in a pan

    Pink Pasta Sauce

    Isabel Laessig
    My Pink Pasta Sauce recipe is creamy, cheesy, and perfect for pairing with pasta of all kinds. Ready in 20 minutes or less!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 697 kcal

    Equipment

    • Skillet
    • Colander
    • Large pot
    • Wooden spoon

    Ingredients
      

    • 16 ounce box pasta your choice, I recommend a shell pasta or macaroni
    • ½ stick butter 4 Tablespoons
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic or garlic paste
    • 1 pound Italian sausage mild or spicy - or 2 cups ham, or any meat of choice
    • 2 cups tomato sauce
    • 1 cup half & half
    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • parsley for garnish (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Cook pasta noodles according to package directions.
      pouring pasta into boiling water
    • Add half a stick of butter to a skillet over medium-high heat and melt.
      melting butter in pan for pink pasta sauce
    • Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, being careful not to burn it.
      adding garlic to butter in pan
    • Add Italian sausage, ham, or meat of choice. For sausage, break it up into tiny pieces using a wooden spoon and cook until browned. For ham, cook until it is browned and begins to "pop" in the pan. For all other meats, cook through completely and to desired doneness before moving on to the next step.
      cooking sausage in a pan for pink pasta sauce
    • Once meat is done cooking, add tomato sauce and stir until well-blended.
      sausage in a pan with tomato sauce
    • Lower the heat. Gradually pour in half & half while stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is well-blended.
      pouring half & half into sausage and tomato sauce
    • Add in your cooked pasta, then mix in Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Once fully mixed, top with parsley if desired, and enjoy!
      parmesan cheese added to pink pasta in pan

    Video

    Notes

    • You can use any meat you like. If using chicken or steak, cook in strips or cubes and make sure the meat is cooked through before adding sauce ingredients. Season the meat as desired before cooking, but test salt levels before adding more.
    • Cook pasta so it is just slightly underdone, because it will continue to cook when you add it to the sauce.
    • Add the half & half gradually, not all at once, and only after lowering the heat. If you add the half & half too quickly, it may curdle.
    • Break up any chunks of Parmesan as you add it to the sauce.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 697kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 28gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 1031mgPotassium: 581mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 537IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword pink pasta sauce, pink sauce, pink sauce pasta, pink sauce recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Avocado Pasta Sauce
    Fry Sauce Recipe »

    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and hosts Family Foodie Friday on WTSP's Great Day Tampa Bay along with other television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    a portrait of Isabel Laessig, smiling

    Hello! I'm Isabel, aka Family Foodie. I want to be your number one source for every Easy Sauce Recipe you could possibly need!

    About Me

    Best Sauce Recipes

    • Birria consome in a bowl next to quesabirria tacos
      Best Birria Consomé Recipe
    • skillet with garlic lemon butter sauce and a spoon
      Lemon Butter Sauce
    • Honey sriracha sauce in a spoon over a skillet
      Honey Sriracha Sauce
    • cowboy butter sauce dripping from spoon
      Steak Sauce Recipe
    • Garlic cream sauce in a bowl with a spoon
      Garlic Sauce
    • Meatball on a fork over bowl of meatballs with sauce
      Meatball Sauce Recipe

    Footer

    Our Brands

    Easy Sauce Recipes | Sunday Supper Movement | Best Beef Recipes | Side Dish Ideas | Pork Recipe Ideas

    About Us

    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Disclosure & Privacy
    • No AI
    • Sign up for our Newsletter!
    sunday supper logo

    Easy Sauce Recipes is part of the Sunday Supper Media publishing family.

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright ©2021-2023 Easy Sauce Recipes, All Rights Reserved.