We go to a lot of big Italian family parties, (well, pre-Covid we did)! These parties are for baptisms, first birthdays, weddings, baby showers… you know, the BIG events! Being that we are a BIG Italian family we usually have some sort of pasta course at these events. More often than not, it will be vodka sauce, which I love!! My hubs always just wants marinara.. but the girls have grown to really enjoy the vodka sauce,(alcohol cooks out!!)! I normally don’t make other sauces at home because my the hubby doesn’t like the cream sauces.
Well, about a month ago we celebrated our wedding anniversary and my mom sent us dinner in to celebrate from one of our favorite spots. My daughter asked me for the “pink sauce” when we ordered out! It turns out that where we ordered from, had a Pink sauce! It is just tomato basil cream sauce… SO GOOD! The girls loved it! I asked them what they wanted for dinner on Sunday night and my youngest of course said PASTA, as that is her go to favorite! My older daughter then said.”Mommy, can we have pink sauce?” I thought for a second and I was like, yes, that is super easy why don’t I ever make them that?!? This is how we ended up with tomato basil cream sauce for our Sunday pasta! The best part is that I could still just save some of the Marinara sauce for the hubs before we made it creamy!!
Vodka or Basil Cream Sauce
Essentially these sauces are very similar. The addition of the vodka gives a little richness and a little tang to the sauce. The Vodka also adds a slight bit of heat and sharpness to balance the acidic tomatoes. The alcohol slightly alters the breakdown of the tomatoes. If the Alcohol cooks out, why not just do Vodka sauce? I just like the addition of cream and basil to the marinara sauce sometimes versus adding the sharpness, tang, richness and heat. I love both sauces, so you can’t go wrong for me. The pink sauce has just a little more sweetness as the cream lends to the sweetness of the tomatoes and the basil.
Chef’s Tip-Â If you have garden fresh basil, USE IT HERE!! This is the perfect spot for garden fresh tomatoes and basil! The fresher the ingredients, the sweeter, more delicate this sauce will be. If not, do not worry, it will still be amazing. Season as you go with this recipe as you are adding layers of flavor and tomatoes can take a decent amount of salt. So, as you make your marinara, season that well and then after you add the cream and basil season again and then check one last time before serving. Parmesan cheese added to the top with help add a little more salt, but you want the sauce to be seasoned well on it’s own.
Tomato Basil Cream Sauce or Pink Sauce
You will make the recipe below to make a classic marinara sauce. Once the sauce is made you will follow the following steps. You can pull some of the Mariana to the side for anyone in your house who may not like “creamy sauces”!
Step 1
Pour the marinara sauce into a shallow pan and put on a medium high heat. You want it to be simmering, not boiling all over the stove.
Step 2
Slowly whisk in 8oz of heavy cream to the marinara sauce. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes and it will begin to reduce slightly.
Step 3
Chiffonade 1 tablespoon of fresh basil and add it into the sauce while simmering, lower the heat to medium low and allow to simmer another 5-10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
Step 4
Toss your cooked pasta into the sauce and check the seasoning for the last time. I add some freshly grated Parmesan into the pasta and sauce while I am tossing. If you do that, check the seasoning after the addition of the Parmesan. Serve immediately with some addition fresh basil and Parmesan on top. ENJOY!
Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes with basil
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic smashed and chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion diced very finely
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil. Stir quickly as to make sure that the onion and the garlic do not brown too much. You really do not want to get color on the vegetables as you really just want to sweat them. Add kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Add in the whole peeled tomatoes. Add them in and stir them around and begin to break them up in the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and let that all simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30-35 minutes.
- Check the sauce for final seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Check that the flavor is where you want it to be. Using either an immersion blender or a stand blender, blend the sauce until it is pureed and smooth. Check one more time for seasoning and Enjoy!
