Have you ever had pink sauce? Or better yet pink sauce pasta? It’s the perfect combination of delicious, bold tomato sauce mixed with just a couple of key ingredients to make it decadent, creamy, and oh so dreamy. This recipe is inspired by Mama D’s in Newport Beach, California. Anyone who’s dined at Mama D’s knows that despite their menu filled with dozens of delicious items including pizza, salad, oven-baked dishes, the pink sauce pasta with rigatoni is the best thing on the menu.
The Pink Sauce at Mama D’s can be served with any kind of pasta on their menu, from ravioli to spaghetti, or even the sausage and chicken capri; so when you’re making this heavenly sauce at home, it can also be served with any pasta you have on hand as well. We love the shape, texture, and size of the rigatoni, plus the hollow inside allows for even more of that delectable pink sauce to coat your pasta. Pink sauce pasta is the ultimate crowd pleaser and is perfect for kids, a casual date night at home, or a large family gathering. The best part: it tastes amazing. The second best part: it’s one of the most simple pasta dishes you will ever make.
How to make Pink Sauce
Making this dish at home is really straightforward. First you’ll create a “red sauce” simply by cooking chopped onions in olive oil, then adding tomatoes (we recommend San Marzano for the best flavor, but you can use any canned tomatoes you have on hand), and letting it simmer for 30 minutes. The red sauce becomes a pink sauce with the simple addition of some heavy cream and freshly grated parm– that’s it! Add your hot pasta and a splash of pasta water to your creamy pink sauce and the dish is ready to serve. This dish takes just over 30 minutes from beginning to end.
Pink Sauce Pasta
Brooke Eliason
Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Difficulty: Easy
Inspired by Mama D's in Newport Beach, California, this pink sauce pasta recipe is easy and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz. can whole, peeled of San Marzano tomatoes*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 lb rigatoni or other pasta
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Heat olive oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Do not brown or burn onions or garlic.
Using your hands, break up the San Marzano tomatoes as you pour them into the large pot. This will release the juices and help break up the tomatoes so they cook evenly. Add salt and bring to a soft boil, then lower heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
After tomatoes have cooked for 30 minutes, use an immersion blender in your large pot to blend the sauce into a creamy, smooth consistency. You may need to tilt your pot to one side so the sauce can gather and your blender is fully immersed. ** Keep the pot on low heat and add cream, Parmigiano Reggiano, basil and stir until smooth.
Once the pasta is cooked, remove 1 cup of pasta water from the pot and set aside. Add hot pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta water, adding more if your sauce is too thick. The pasta sauce will quickly set up as it cools. Serve immediately with additional grated parm if desired.
Notes
* You may use any tomatoes you have on hand, but using both San Marzano tomatoes and tomatoes that are still whole typically yields better flavor.
** If you do not have an immersion blender, you can blend your tomato sauce in a traditional blender to make smooth. Make sure you let your sauce cool for a few minutes before blending, or the pressure from the hot sauce will make the blender lid burst off in the process.
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FAQs
Pink Sauce Pasta is cooked pasta tossed with equal parts red marinara sauce and white alfredo sauce which combine to make – you got it – a pink-hued sauce. Again, as simple as the combination sounds, it is mind blowingly delicious.
What happened to pink sauce's girl? ›
On August 16, 2023, Chef Pii made a GoFundMe page alleging that Dave's Gourmet did not pay her royalties for The Pink Sauce and that she was financially struggling, living off twenty dollars a day and facing eviction.
What to use pink sauce for? ›
Pink pasta sauce has a nice, cheesy consistency, and it goes best with thick pasta shapes that don't overcook easily. If you're using egg pasta, you can ignore the minutes rule I wrote above. Just toss it in the saucepan when it's ready with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and you're good to go.
What is Chinese pink sauce made of? ›
Combine sugar, vinegar and ground dry mustard; mix well. Add mayo, horseradish and ketchup, whip until smooth; cover and let set overnight. Enjoy!
What was pink sauce made of? ›
According to Walmart, the new Pink Sauce ingredients list includes dragon-fruit purée, canola oil, coconut cream, water, sugar, distilled white vinegar, garlic, maltodextrin (an additive used to thicken and preserve foods), ranch flavor, salt, and spices.
What does pink sauce actually taste like? ›
It basically tastes like sweeter ranch dressing. Personally, I have never eaten ranch dressing and thought, “I wish this was sweeter!” Maybe you have, though. Additionally, the sauce we received isn't really pink. It's more of a pinkish beige, kind of like the yum yum sauce you get at a Japanese steakhouse.
Is Pink Sauce safe now? ›
The sauce is bottled in an FDA-registered facility that's also certified under the Safe Quality Food Program, a rigorous safety auditing service. The FDA took samples from the first production run of the improved Pink Sauce and found no issues with it.
Why did the Pink Sauce lady go broke? ›
The Pink Sauce creator says she's broke after being 'financially sabotaged' by business partner Dave's Gourmet. The company says it's paid the viral chef $120,000. Veronica Shaw partnered with Dave's Gourmet in January to bring her viral Pink Sauce to Walmart.
Why was Pink Sauce banned? ›
Although the brand's website lists dragon fruit, sunflower seeds, garlic, chili, and honey, the ingredient list is inconsistent with references to milk, soy, and distilled vinegar. Now, the FDA is doing an official taste test of the Pink Sauce, and Chef Pii said she plans to comply fully.
What is pink sauce at Walmart? ›
What is pink sauce? It's a bright bubble gum-hued condiment that can be used on many foods. Chef Pii posted videos on TikTok last summer dousing all kinds of dishes with the sauce including chicken, tacos, gyros and more. Then, the sauce went viral on Twitter and Instagram, too.
This indicated that the bottles should have been refrigerated during the shipping process, otherwise there would be a risk of the condiment going bad. But that wasn't the case. Later, Chef Pii revealed that the milk was actually dried milk, which didn't need to be refrigerated.
Is duck sauce pink? ›
Duck sauce (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance similar to a thin jelly.
What is pink tomato sauce? ›
The red sauce becomes a pink sauce with the simple addition of some heavy cream and freshly grated parm– that's it! Add your hot pasta and a splash of pasta water to your creamy pink sauce and the dish is ready to serve.
Is pink pasta sauce the same as vodka sauce? ›
Although Pink Sauce and Vodka Sauce are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually different sauces. Pink Sauce doesn't have any vodka in the sauce and is more cream based while Vodka Pasta is more tomato based.
Is pink sauce FDA approved? ›
And yes, it's FDA-approved. Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page. After months of controversy, the once-infamous Pink Sauce has made it from TikTok to actual store shelves.
What is Japanese pink sauce made of? ›
This tangy sauce is made from simple ingredients. Mayonnaise (a blend of egg yolks and oil)– One of the main ingredients, this is the creamy base of the sauce. Tomato paste or tomato sauce– gives it the pink hue, but do not use ketchup, which is sweetened.
