This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Although there are plenty of delicious pasta recipes to try out, this Italian pink pasta sauce dish is especially fun to make! It pairs alfredo sauce with tomatoes, mozzarella and authentic Italian herbs and seasonings. The tomatoes blend with the alfredo sauce, creating a pretty pink sauce pasta dish which is great for any occasion from Valentine’s Day to a special birthday or even a quick and easy weeknight supper!
This simple pink sauce pasta recipe boasts a creamy tomato sauce with onion, garlic, shredded mozzarella cheese, and al dente spaghetti, to create a tasty meal.
Also try cream cheese spaghetti, beef stuffed pasta shells, Tex Mex chicken pasta salad, crockpot lasagna soup or a baked pasta recipe.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy: If you often stir a jar of tomato sauce or pesto into cooked pasta to make a meal, you’ll find it just as easy to make pink sauce pasta, as you just cook the pasta, stir the sauce ingredients together and combine everything. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes, too!
A special treat: How often do you serve pink food? Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, Valentine’s Day or just cooking for someone who can’t get enough wonderful Italian flavors, this dinner might be super-simple but it’s also extra-special because of the color and tasty flavors. It is total comfort food!
Economical: You can make this pasta in creamy tomato sauce on a budget. Spaghetti is cheap, as are the tomatoes, alfredo sauce and seasonings, so even if you’re feeding a crowd with big appetites it won’t break the bank!
Ingredients for Rose Sauce Pasta
Spaghetti is recommended for this dish (although other kinds of pasta work too). You also need a jar of alfredo sauce, a can of tomatoes, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder, mozzarella, salt and pepper.
How to Make Pink Pasta Sauce
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Cook the spaghetti: Follow the directions on the package to cook the spaghetti.
Cook the sauce: While the spaghetti cooks, you can heat the alfredo sauce, tomatoes and all seasonings in a large skillet until it reaches a simmer.
Toss the spaghetti and sauce together: Drain the cooked spaghetti and toss with the sauce.
Add the cheese: Stir the mozzarella into the spaghetti mixture, heat through for a couple of minutes, then serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
This pink sauce recipe isn’t just for spaghetti, as you can sub any kind of pasta you want, such as penne, linguine, fusilli, or literally any other shape. Alternatively, try it over rice or potatoes.
You can swap the alfredo sauce for creamy mushroom sauce if you like, add some red pepper flakes for a kick of heat or sub Italian blend cheese and a handful of parmesan cheese for the mozzarella.
Some home cooks like to sauté mushrooms with shallots or onion before adding the alfredo sauce, tomatoes and other ingredients.
Another idea is to sub vodka sauce or your favorite heavy cream-based sauce for the pink sauce, using this recipe as the basis of a new one.
How to Serve this Italian Pink Sauce Recipe
Enjoy this pink sauce pasta hot, perhaps paired with watermelon cucumber salad, butternut arugula salad, or your favorite Italian side dishes.
How to Store Italian Pink Sauce
Store: Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge and warmed back up in the microwave. They will keep for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze in portions, then thaw overnight in the fridge and microwave to reheat. This pink sauce pasta should keep for 4 months until it slowly starts to lose its flavor.
Pink Pasta Sauce Recipe FAQs
Since it’s a vegetarian dish, you might want to pair it with a steak, ribs, lamb, chicken wings, or any other protein you want. It’s also good by itself as a vegetarian meal, or as part of a buffet spread.
It shouldn’t dry out if you microwave it, but if you prefer to heat it back up gently, then warm it up in a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of pasta water (if you kept any from cooking the spaghetti) or just tap water if not. Give it 3 to 4 minutes over a medium heat and don’t let it boil.
Italian Pink Sauce Recipe
Easy Italian Pink Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 15 Ounces alfredo sauce
- 14½ Ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ Teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ Teaspoon salt
- ⅛ Teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Follow the directions on the pasta box to cook the spaghetti. Set aside.
- Next in a large skillet, mix the alfredo sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Heat over medium-low heat until it simmers.
- Take off the heat and add in the pasta.
- Mix to coat the pasta with the sauce.
- Once the pasta is coated, incorporate the mozzarella.
- Turn the heat to low and heat the pasta through for 1 to 2 minutes, then serve hot.
Nutrition
Unusual but delicious, this pink sauce pasta dish makes a tasty and warming dinner on a busy weeknight. It is a delicious cross between alfredo and a traditional tomato sauce. Everyone will do a double-take at the pink sauce but the combination of juicy sweet tomatoes and creamy alfredo is just too good to resist, while the Italian seasonings and mozzarella round it out to make it extra delicious. Make it with spaghetti, penne pasta or another favorite and serve garnished with a sprig of fresh basil.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
