Straightforward Creamy Rose Sauce from the Pantry

Creamy Rose Sauce is a rich and savory tomato cream sauce. Toss it over tender pasta noodles for a hearty main course that’s straightforward enough for a busy after-work, but elegant and good enough to serve for a date night dinner. Add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and you’ll have a restaurant quality meal at home in less than 30 minutes!

Rose sauce is one of those pasta sauces that feels fancy and refined, but is actually so unfussy to make. With simple pantry staples that are especially unfussy to get your hands on, anyone can make a well-seasoned pasta sauce!

This sauce recipe turns out creamy, peppery, and tangy. The vodka is optional, but adds great flavor to this dish and balances the tomato and the heavy cream. Don’t worry, you’ll cook it long enough that the alcohol is cooked right out! When you’re craving something other than old-school marinara, this is such a flavorful alternative.

Why you should make this dish

• Creamy and full of flavor. Unfussy to crave how creamy and well-seasoned this rose sauce comes out.
• Unfussy to make. One of my regular things about this method is how straightforward it is to make it with only a handful of simple ingredients. In only about 25 to 30 minutes, you will have a savory tasting pasta meal on your table for the family.
• Versatile dish. You can keep this dish vegetarian and make it as is, or you can get as creative as you like by adding any protein of choice or veggies like spinach and mushrooms.

Ingredients needed

This satisfying creamy tomato sauce has tons of welcome flavors thanks to the combination of a sautéed shallot + garlic, tomato paste, vodka, heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Pasta. Use any go-to pasta. I like to use penne pasta, but shells, bowtie, or fettuccine noodles all work. You can even substitute whole grain or whole wheat pasta for added nutritional value. Use gluten free pasta, as desired.
• Olive oil. For cooking the diced shallot and garlic and adding richness to the sauce.
• Shallot + garlic. Adds flavor-packed aromatic flavor. If you don’t happen to have shallot, sub with onion.
• Tomato paste. Thickens the sauce and adds bold flavor.
• Vodka. Entirely optional, but the vodka adds great flavor to the sauce.
• Heavy cream. Adds rich creaminess to the sauce.
• Butter. This gets stirred into the sauce for extra flavor and richness.
• Parmesan cheese. For dependable results, use a higher quality grated or shaved parmesan, or buy a block of it and grate it yourself.

How to cook this method

This rose pasta sauce is straightforward to make and it comes together easily – while the pasta is boiling, you can start the sauce, then simply stir everything together. Here’s the simple method:

For the full, printable recipe, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Boil pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Once done, drain and set aside.
2. Make the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat up the olive oil. Once hot, add in the garlic and shallot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 additional minutes, stirring often. Stir in the vodka and then add in the cream and pepper flakes and mix to combine.
3. Mix sauce and pasta. Stir the cooked pasta as well as ½ cup of pasta water, the butter, and parmesan cheese into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
4. Serve. Remove from the heat and serve with basil and an extra sprinkle of parmesan. Enjoy!

Variations

While this dish is fabulous as-is, you can completely add other ingredients to use what you have available and customize the flavors to your tastes. Here’s some options:

• Get your veggies! You can add an abundance of vegetables into this sauce, if you would like. You can use zucchini noodles, or toss in some spinach, broccoli, zucchini or kale!
• Add protein. You can add some precooked shredded chicken into this sauce for some added protein. Or try it with chickpeas for a vegetarian, protein-packed option.
• Use this in place of regular tomato sauce. If you love this rose sauce, then you can use this method in place of regular tomato sauce in all different kinds of recipes!

Frequently asked questions

Storage & reheating recommendations

• To store. Place the prepared pasta and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
• To reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven or large pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat, splashing in broth, cream, almond milk, regular milk or water as needed to loosen the sauce. You can also reheat this method in the microwave.

More pasta recipes to try

• Pasta Chips
• Creamy Vegan Pasta
• One Pot Lentil Pasta
• Orzo Pasta Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
• Chickpea Pasta Recipe