Easy Rosa Sauce Recipe (Creamy Pink Pasta Sauce)

This creamy Rosa Sauce recipe is sinfully rich and delicious, and ready in about 20 minutes. Serve it over your favorite cooked pasta for a hearty and comforting meal that’s quick enough even for busy weeknights!

Serve it with garlic bread and a simple salad for a dinner your family won’t soon forget!

Simple ingredients = the BEST Rosa Sauce Recipe!

For years my husband and I had a favorite Italian restaurant that served the best gnocchi with rosa sauce. We ordered it every time we went.

I almost cried when they closed because we never found a pink pasta sauce anywhere that tasted as good. I’ve tried recreating it for years, but although I could copy the taste, the texture was always off.

Then at girls camp a couple years ago they served the most amazing rosa sauce with Italian sausage. When I finally tracked down the cook, she told me she just added carrots to traditional marinara sauce, then stirred in some cream. So simple!

The marinara makes a much more smooth and velvety sauce than any of the versions I tried with diced or crushed tomatoes. And it already has the Italian seasoning included, so it’s the perfect shortcut ingredient!

What is rosa sauce made of?

Also called creamy pink sauce, rosa sauce is a delicious savory pasta sauce made by combining seasoned tomato sauce with heavy cream, alfredo, or sometimes cream cheese.

How to make

1. PREP – Peel and grate the carrot. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta of your choice according to package instructions.
2. SAUTE – While pasta is cooking, cook the carrot in water in a large saucepan or pot for 8-10 minutes or until very soft. Add the garlic and cook 30-60 seconds.
3. PUREE – Pour in the marinara and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
   Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through.
4. SERVE – If desired, garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

We love this sauce with homemade gnocchi, but you can use any kind of pasta you have on hand.

 Store the leftover creamy tomato sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

PRO TIPS:

• For best results, use fresh garlic, not bottled or dried. It really does give you the best flavor!
• Carrots not only add nutrients, they add sweetness to balance out the acidity in the tomatoes, so the sauce isn’t the same without them.
• Using an immersion blender is the easiest way to get a smooth and creamy sauce, but you can transfer it to a blender if you need to.
• If you need to feed a lot of people, this sauce can easily be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled. Just use a large pot instead of a saucepan.

ROSA SAUCE RECIPE VARIATIONS:

• We like Barilla Basil Marinara or Rao’s red sauce, but you can use any good quality sauce, or even homemade marina sauce.
• If you have a small amount of chicken broth on hand, you can use it in place of the water for cooking the carrots.
• For a bit of a kick, you can add some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.
• To make this pink pasta dish even more filling, you can add cooked chicken, Italian sausage, ground beef, or shrimp.

MORE EASY PASTA RECIPES:

• Pesto Cream Sauce
• Baked Penne Pasta with Mozzarella
• Keto Alfredo Sauce Recipe
• Ground Beef Lo Mein
• Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach
• Veggie Pesto Pasta
• Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
• Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef

 This pink sauce pasta recipe uses everyday ingredients, but it tastes like you’re eating at your favorite Italian restaurant!