Everyone should have a go-to pasta sauce in their arsenal, and for me, this one is it – an extremely simple and heavy cream tomato sauce that is created with unbelievable flavor completely from scratch (aka pink sauce).
Even though there are only a few components, it packs a ton of flavor: shallots, garlic, a hint of heat from crushed red pepper flakes, tomato paste for a rich, concentrated tomato taste, and of course, heavy cream.
Dinner should be on the table every week and can be prepared in little more than 15 minutes. Shallots have a flavor profile similar to that of onions, but their milder flavor makes them perfect for blending into sauces.
Garlic: Make sure you have plenty of garlic in your diet. The ideal number of cloves to use is three, but you may certainly adjust the quantity to suit your preferences by adding more or fewer. Because of its intensely concentrated tomato flavor, tomato paste is an excellent choice for making this sauce.
Flakes of dried red pepper: Giving this sauce a touch of heat is as simple as sprinkling on some dried red pepper flakes, but you could certainly omit them if you wanted to. The sauce’s natural smoothness comes from the use of heavy cream, of course.
Pasta: You can use any type of pasta you like, whether it be filled or shaped, in this dish. If there is just one thing that you remember after reading this recipe, I want it to be how ridiculously simple it is to put together.
First, prepare your garlic and shallots by mincing them very finely. Bring the water to a boil. Bring a large pot of strongly salted water to a boil in the stockpot or pasta pot you will be using. Cook the pasta in accordance with the package’s instructions.
Saute the shallots and garlic in butter. Put one tablespoon of unsalted butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pot and heat the pot over medium heat.
Once it is melted and heated, add the shallots and garlic, and simmer for about 3 minutes until extremely aromatic and the shallots start to become translucent.
Put the crushed red pepper and tomato paste in the pan. Add the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, some salt, and some pepper to the garlic and shallots and mix well. Combine the two, then place them in the oven at 350 degrees for two to three minutes while stirring occasionally.
This will caramelize the tomato paste. If you use tomato paste that does not contain salt, make sure to taste the sauce and add more salt if it appears like something is lacking. This is especially important if you used salt-free tomato paste.
It is very recommended that the tomato paste be allowed to caramelize in the pot for a few minutes before the addition of the heavy cream.
It might seem like an extra step that isn’t essential, but doing so actually improves the flavor of the sauce and makes it taste even more delicious.
For the purposes of this dish, you can use pretty much any sort of pasta that you prefer! When it comes time to get some sauce, I always choose a container that has some sort of ridges or swirls in it.
When prepared with heavy cream, this sauce brings out its full potential. The end result is a sauce that is incredibly velvety and luxurious.
If you wanted to make this sauce dairy-free, all you would need to do is replace regular milk with full-fat coconut milk instead of milk from another kind of milk.
If you absolutely must use lime, you should, however, refrain from doing so until the tomato paste has been caramelized for a few minutes before adding any vodka. This is true even if you are passionate about including lime (approximately a quarter cup).
This recipe calls for a smooth tomato sauce, however, it does not include any lime among the ingredients. Because this sauce can be used for such a wide variety of dishes, you have a lot of ways to experiment with it if you want to use it for something besides pasta.
There are a lot of various directions you can go in. In addition, you might sauté some ground chicken, turkey, or beef with the shallots and garlic.
Beef and turkey are two more possible selections. Instead of using dried red pepper flakes, you might try substituting chilies or a paste prepared from Calabrian chilies. Both of these options are available at most grocery stores.
Mix the pasta with some freshly chopped parsley or basil, and then combine all of the ingredients. You should incorporate leafy greens and vegetables like zucchini and spinach into your meal.
You may use this sauce in place of marinara when you prepare baked ziti or lasagna. Both of these dishes call for a sauce component. In order to create chicken parmesan, simply cook the chicken as normal and then pour this sauce over it (or chicken parmesan heroes).
After the spaghetti squash has been cooked, add the toppings then cover it with mozzarella cheese, and place it under the broiler for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
As a more nutritious alternative to the more conventional kind of pasta, serve it with some noodles rather than spaghetti. On the side, serve it with some warm garlic bread and a salad that doesn’t require too much preparation.
If you put the sauce in a jar that can be sealed to keep air out, you may store it in the refrigerator for up to a week on its own.
In a manner that is equivalent to the way in which you may store the sauce, you can store the pasta in the refrigerator for up to a week if it is kept there while being sealed in an airtight container.
After allowing it to reach room temperature, put it in a container that can handle being frozen for up to six months, after which you can store it in the freezer
. If you can, divide it up into individual portions before storing it so that you can easily reheat only the amount that you require.
To accomplish this, you must initially freeze it in an ice cube tray or another similar container, then once it has completely frozen, you must move it to a container that is suitable for storage in the freezer.
The most efficient way to reheat it is to do so on the stovetop in a pot with a very small amount (a few teaspoons) of water. It is also possible to defrost it in the refrigerator for a few hours, following which it can be warmed on the stovetop.
Another option is to microwave it for a few minutes. In the stockpot or pasta pot that you will be using, bring a substantial quantity of water that has been salted generously to a boil.
Prepare the pasta in accordance with the directions that are listed on the package. A sauté pot should be heated over medium heat, and then one tablespoon of unsalted butter and one tablespoon of olive oil should be added to the pot.
After that has melted and started to become hot, add the shallots and garlic and continue to cook for around three minutes, or until the shallots begin to become translucent and the aroma is quite aromatic.
Mix together the garlic and shallots before adding the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, some salt, and some pepper.
Mix thoroughly after each addition. Combine them, then bake them in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for two to three minutes while stirring them every so often.
The tomato paste will get a caramelized flavor as a result. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream while stirring regularly until it is entirely combined.
Continue until the cream is completely incorporated. Stir in the pasta once it has achieved a low boil and is maintaining a little simmer after it has been added.
If you are going to use freshly grated parmesan cheese, you should throw it in at this point after the pasta and sauce have been properly mixed together. Get everything ready, then serve it right away!
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