Photography: Con Poulos. Styling: Olivia Blackmore.
This silky pink sauce pasta strikes the perfect balance between rich tomato and creamy mascarpone, making it an absolute winner for busy weeknight dinners. It’s fancy enough for entertaining but simple enough to whip up after a long day.
Ingredients
Method
PINK SAUCE Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat; cook garlic for 1 minute. Stir in canned tomatoes, sugar and basil; simmer for 20 minutes or until reduced by half. Process until smooth. Return sauce to the frying pan over low heat; stir in mascarpone for 2 minutes or until smooth and heated through. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, cook dried pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente.
Using a large, slotted spoon, transfer pasta (with a very generous splash of the pasta water) to pink sauce. Remove from the heat; toss vigorously for 2 minutes or until well coated, adding more pasta water if needed. Season to taste.
Serve pasta and pink sauce topped with parmesan, extra basil and freshly ground black pepper.
What is pink sauce?
Pink sauce is a luscious pasta sauce that’s a combination of tangy tomato and rich cream. It was especially popular in the 1980s.
In this recipe, the beautiful blush colour comes from blending tomatoes with creamy mascarpone, creating a velvety smooth texture that’s neither too acidic nor too heavy.
This crowd-pleasing sauce is sometimes called ‘rose sauce’ and is a retro favourite because it’s incredibly versatile and pairs beautifully with any pasta shape.
Ingredient swaps
Paccheri is a tube-shaped pasta that has a smooth surface. You can use rigatoni, if you prefer.
To make this pink sauce a little less decadent, you could swap mascarpone for cream, or do half and half of each, if you like.
