Pink Pasta Sauce: The OG Kid Favorite
Pink pasta is a recipe I have developed over the years for my kids. It used to be made from crushed tomatoes, a dash of heavy cream, and a lot of parmigiano reggiano cheese—the pasta always had peas in it. EJ1 would eat pink pasta, especially with mini farfalle several times a week.
This recipe has undergone many tweaks since EJ1 was little, it is now far fresher and just as kid-friendly. I’ve been following this specific version of the recipe for about 2 years because it’s just as popular with adults as it is with kids, and very easy to make.
Pink Pasta Sauce New-Style
3 c. Mighty Vine Cherry on the Vine tomatoes
1 c. fresh basil
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tbsp. high quality butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Bring 1 tablespoon olive oil to rippling hot in a pan on high, blister the cherry tomatoes until they start to deflate, then add the minced garlic. Cut the heat and let the contents cool for 10 minutes, or pour directly into a blender that allows hot blending.
In a blender or food processor, pulse the tomatoes and garlic together a few times. Switch to continuous blending and add the butter until emulsified. Finally, add the basil and pulse until incorporated with no stringy pieces or big leaves left. This makes enough sauce for 1 lb. of pasta.
Pink Pasta Old-Style
A 2012 Instagram pic…
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/3 c. freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
In a sauce pot bring the tsp of olive oil to rippling hot on medium high heat. Quickly bloom the garlic powder and onion powder for less than a minute and add the tomato sauce. The trick is to kind of scald the tomato sauce to quickly cook it down and remove the raw flavor. Season with salt and pepper, then add the quarter cup of heavy cream. Bring to a boil and turn off.
This sauce is awesome tossed on hot pastina noodles like stelline, ditalini, or mini farfalle. I like to add frozen peas to the pasta during the last minute of boiling, the sweetness of the peas are perfect with this dish. I also add 1/3 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano to the pasta to toss at the end.