• Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
  • Shop

Cozy Cravings

menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • SHOP
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT
    • SHOP
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Freshly baked zucchini ricotta galette.
      Zucchini Ricotta Galette
    • white bean citrus salad in a serving bowl with two serving spoons.
      White Bean Avocado Citrus Salad
    • Bacon egg and cheese breakfast sliders.
      Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
    • lemon honey cake with slices cut out.
      Lemon Honey Cake
    • Finished pizza topped with bruschetta, balsamic glaze and shaved parmesan cheese.
      Bruschetta Pizza
    • Kale and White Bean Salad in a bowl with serving utensils.
      Kale and White Bean Salad
    • Close up whipped honey butter in a jar.
      Whipped Honey Butter
    • Shrimp scampi risotto in a blue bowl with a wood fork.
      Shrimp Scampi Risotto
    • Close up of fresh baked sprinkle cookies.
      Sprinkle Cookies
    • Close up of pancakes with a pat of butter and pure maple syrup.
      Buttermilk Pancakes for Two
    • Assembled tacos up close.
      Rice and Bean Tacos
    • Close up of muffin with glaze drips.
      Vanilla Chai Spice Muffins
    Home » Lunch & Dinner

    Easy Creamy Tomato Sauce

    Published: Jan 21, 2020 » Modified: Sep 22, 2021 by Haley » This post may contain affiliate links

    4877 shares
    • Share
    • Send
    Jump To Recipe Jump To Video
    Pin for pinterest.

    We all need a go-to pasta sauce in our arsenal, and this one is it for me – super easy creamy tomato sauce made from scratch (aka pink sauce). It's full of flavor with only a few ingredients; shallots, garlic, a little spice from red pepper flakes, tomato paste for a deep tomato flavor, and of course heavy cream. A weekly staple dinner that comes together in no more than 15 minutes.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Notes and tips
    • Recipe customizations and add-ins
    • How to serve
    • FAQs
    • More pasta recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    • Shallot: More mild than an onion, I love adding shallots into sauces for the same flavor profile.
    • Garlic: Always load up on garlic. Three cloves is the sweet spot, but you could definitely add more or less if you want based on your taste.
    • Tomato paste: Perfect for this sauce because it has that concentrated tomato flavor.
    • Red pepper flakes: Adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes gives this sauce a little kick - you could definitely leave this out though.
    • Heavy cream: Of course how the sauce gets its creaminess.
    • Pasta: Grab your favorite shape or filled pasta, anything will work here.

    Step by step instructions

    If you take one thing away from reading this recipe, I want it to be how insanely easy it is to make.

    Prep: mince your garlic and shallots really finely.

    1. Boil your water. In your stock/pasta pot, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions.

    2. Sauté the garlic and shallots. In a sauté pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once that is melted and hot, add the shallots and garlic, and cook for about 3 minutes until very fragrant and the shallots start to become translucent.

    3. Add the red pepper flakes and tomato paste. To the garlic and shallots, add the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Mix those together and cook stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste.

    4. Add the heavy cream. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream until smooth. Let it come up to a slight simmer, then add in your pasta (it's ok if pasta water gets in there). Once the pasta and sauce are mixed together, stir in fresh grated parmesan cheese if using. Serve immediately!

    Notes and tips

    • If you use unsalted tomato paste, make sure you taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
    • Really let the tomato paste caramelize in the pot for a few minutes before adding the heavy cream. This seems like a silly step but it really deepens the flavor and makes the sauce more delicious.
    • You really can use whatever your favorite pasta is! I always lean towards something with ridges or swirls to grab the sauce.
    • Heavy cream is ideal for this sauce! It produces such a luscious silky sauce. To make this a dairy free sauce you could sub full-fat coconut milk.
    • This is a vodka free creamy tomato sauce however if you really want to add vodka, add about ¼ cup after you let the tomato paste caramelize for a few minutes.
    • This recipe is similar to the Gigi Hadid pasta recipe, but IMO a little better 🙂

    Recipe customizations and add-ins

    There are so many things you can do with this sauce if you're looking to take it beyond just pasta.

    • Add some ground chicken/turkey/beef - cook this along with the shallots and garlic
    • Use Calabrian chilis or Calabrian chili paste instead of red pepper flakes
    • Stir in fresh basil or parsley along with the pasta
    • Include veggies such as spinach or zucchini

    How to serve

    • Use in place of marinara for a baked ziti or lasagna
    • Spoon over chicken for chicken parmesan (or chicken parmesan heroes)
    • Add to cooked spaghetti squash, top with mozzarella cheese, broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly
    • Serve it with some zoodles as a pasta alternative
    • Serve warm garlic bread and a simple salad along with it

    FAQs

    How do I store the sauce?

    You can store the sauce alone in an air tight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    How do I store this if I've added pasta?

    Similar to the sauce, if you've added pasta you can store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    Can I freeze just the sauce?

    Yes! Let it come to room temp, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. If you can, store in separate serving sizes so it's easier to reheat only what you need (first freeze in an ice cube tray or something similar, then move to a freezer-safe container once it's frozen through).

    How do I reheat the frozen sauce?

    It's best to reheat on the stove top in sauce pan with a little bit (a few tablespoons) of water. You can also thaw it in your fridge for a few hours and then reheat on the stove top.

    More pasta recipes

    • Creamy Roasted Garlic Gnocchi with Bacon
    • Creamy Tortellini and Pesto Tomato Soup
    • One Pot Gnocchi Bake
    • Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Sage Breadcrumbs

     

    📖 Recipe

    Easy Creamy Tomato Sauce

    We all need a go-to pasta sauce in our arsenal, and this one is it for me – super easy creamy tomato sauce made from scratch (aka pink sauce). It's full of flavor with only a few ingredients; shallots, garlic, a little spice from red pepper flakes, tomato paste for a deep tomato flavor, and of course heavy cream. A weekly staple dinner that comes together in no more than 15 minutes.
    4.93 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb pasta
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1 medium shallot diced
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 6 oz tomato paste
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
    • 2 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan cheese (optional)

    Instructions

    • In your stock/pasta pot, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions.
    • In a sauté pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once that is melted and hot, add the shallots and garlic, and cook for about 3 minutes until very fragrant and the shallots start to become translucent.
    • To the garlic and shallots, add the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Mix those together and cook stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste.
    • Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream until smooth. Let it come up to a slight simmer, then add in your pasta. Once the pasta and sauce are mixed together, stir in fresh grated parmesan cheese if using. Serve immediately!

    Video

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories: 828kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 962mg | Potassium: 786mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2086IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 3mg
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Pasta
    Author: Haley

    More Lunch & Dinner

    • Sliced spinach and ricotta lasagna.
      Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna
    • Finished soup in a bowl.
      Chicken Tomato and Rice Soup
    • Dutch oven roasted chicken served on a plate.
      Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken
    • Close up french onion mac and cheese.
      French Onion Mac and Cheese

    Comments

    1. Lindsey says

      November 12, 2020 at 10:00 pm

      5 stars
      This was really simple but tasted fancy! Great for the cold weather and a busy week night.

      Reply
      • Haley says

        November 13, 2020 at 6:27 pm

        Yay! Glad you liked it! This is one of my faves.

        Reply
    2. Laurie Sabol says

      December 24, 2020 at 9:03 am

      Do you think I could sub the heavy cream for buttermilk?

      Reply
      • Haley says

        December 26, 2020 at 12:35 pm

        Hi there - I wouldn't recommend buttermilk because the end flavor would be very different.

        Reply
    3. Rachel says

      January 06, 2021 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      This was seriously as easy, and more fun, as heating up a jar of sauce, and way more delicious! You can taste the shallots and garlic, but they are not too strong. I love creamy red sauce, but had never made one. Will definitely make this again!

      Reply
      • Haley says

        January 07, 2021 at 8:41 pm

        Thank you!! So happy you loved it.

        Reply
    4. Jacquelyn says

      February 13, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      I never write reviews but I had to for this - wanted something tomato creamy, delicious and easy and this was PERFECT. will definitely be making it into the weekly dinner rotation. Used chickpea pasta and did some dollops of ricotta on top. Perfection! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Haley says

        February 15, 2021 at 9:44 am

        Yay I'm so glad to hear you loved it! Thanks for trying it and leaving a review 🙂

        Reply
    5. Cynthia says

      March 22, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      Delicious. We didn't have shallots, so I added half a white onion. I also added some salt when I added the tomato paste. Just to give it some more depth, I added oregano and basil. My boyfriend is a cook, so I felt like I needed to do something to impress him.

      Reply
      • Haley says

        March 22, 2021 at 8:43 pm

        yay glad you liked it! Thanks for making it!

        Reply
        • Marisa says

          September 27, 2021 at 12:08 am

          4 stars
          Honestly this is just vodka sauce without the vodka lol. Still tasty!

          Reply
          • Haley says

            October 05, 2021 at 8:04 pm

            In a way, yes! Depending on the vodka sauce 🙂

            Reply
    6. Ryan says

      December 05, 2021 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      Hello,
      You listed the Sodium at 1587mg.
      I want to make a version with lower sodium and plan to omit the 1 tsp salt. But what other ingredients is the sodium so high in? The tomato paste? Did you include the sodium from the optional parmesan cheese in your total? Any info and tips is helpful. Thank you 😊

      Reply
      • Haley says

        December 05, 2021 at 9:26 am

        Hi! Thanks so much for calling this out - I just realized there was an error in the calculation as one of the ingredients wasn't properly reflected. I just fixed it and also removed the optional parm cheese from the calculation as well. If you want it to be pulled down even further I'd recommend looking for no salt added tomato paste. Hope you love it!

        Reply
    7. Sophie says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      Looks sensational- the sub coconut milk didn’t work out though - taste of coconut wasn’t neutral enough. Any other sub suggestions?

      Reply
      • Haley says

        September 21, 2022 at 9:50 am

        Hi Sophie – I haven't tried this, but I researched and a combo of an alt milk (such as soy) and olive oil may work. Otherwise for dairy-free alternatives coconut cream/milk is your best bet for the right consistency.

        Reply
    4.93 from 13 votes (8 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    HEY THERE!

    Welcome to Cozy Cravings! Happy to have you. Here, you’ll find comfort food recipes & other delicious things to enjoy and devour.

    POPULAR POSTS

    • Close up of broccoli au gratin.
      Broccoli Au Gratin (Broccoli Casserole)
    • Finished french onion pasta in a bowl.
      One Pot French Onion Pasta
    • close up image of maple candied bacon on a plate.
      Maple Candied Bacon
    • Overhead image of lasagna fresh out of the oven with sage on top.
      Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

    Breakfast & Brunch

    Bacon egg and cheese breakfast sliders.

    Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders

    Close up of pancakes with a pat of butter and pure maple syrup.

    Buttermilk Pancakes for Two

    Close up of muffin with glaze drips.

    Vanilla Chai Spice Muffins

    Close up image of sliced leek and gruyere quiche.

    Leek and Gruyere Quiche

    More Breakfast & Brunch

    Lunch & Dinner

    Freshly baked zucchini ricotta galette.

    Zucchini Ricotta Galette

    white bean citrus salad in a serving bowl with two serving spoons.

    White Bean Avocado Citrus Salad

    Finished pizza topped with bruschetta, balsamic glaze and shaved parmesan cheese.

    Bruschetta Pizza

    Kale and White Bean Salad in a bowl with serving utensils.

    Kale and White Bean Salad

    More Lunch & Dinner

    Snacks, Sides, and More

    Freshly baked zucchini ricotta galette.

    Zucchini Ricotta Galette

    white bean citrus salad in a serving bowl with two serving spoons.

    White Bean Avocado Citrus Salad

    Close up whipped honey butter in a jar.

    Whipped Honey Butter

    Garlic rosemary potatoes roasted.

    Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

    More Snacks & Sides

    Sweet Treats

    lemon honey cake with slices cut out.

    Lemon Honey Cake

    More Sweet Treats

    Drinks

    Lambrusco spritz with olives and orange slice.

    Lambrusco Spritz

    More Drinks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    about

    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • PRIVACY POLICY

    Let's Keep In Touch!

    Subscribe here for delicious recipes, updates & more!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    .

    recipe index

    • APPETIZERS
    • BREAKFAST & BRUNCH
    • LUNCH & DINNER
    • SNACKS & SIDES
    • DESSERTS

    Copyright © 2025 · CozyCravings.com

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.