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Pink Pasta Sauce with Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes

This pink sauce pasta recipe is, at its heart, a tomato cream sauce topped with fresh summer tomatoes.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4
Calories: 761 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: International

Ingredients

Pink pasta sauce
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 28 ounces canned whole tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano or dried thyme or combo of the two
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
Sauteed cherry tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Assembly
  • 1 pound short pasta of choice
  • ¼ cup Italian parsley or basil, chopped
  • 1 ounce (or more) grated Parmesan, to top

Instructions

Pink pasta sauce
    Cup of Yum
  1. Place the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in your food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Or finely chop these vegetables by hand.
  2. In a large lidded saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
  3. Add the vegetables and cook them until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Add the canned tomatoes and any tomato juice in the can to the saucepan. Remove any basil leaves that might have been with the canned tomatoes.
  5. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme or oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes to break them up. (This is the point where I start to heat the pot of water for the pasta and cook the cherry tomatoes.)
  6. When most of the tomatoes have broken down into small pieces, stir in the sugar. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper as desired.
  7. Turn the heat down to a low simmer and add the cream.
Sautéed cherry tomatoes
  1. Add the olive oil to a frying pan large enough to hold the tomatoes and heat over medium heat.
  2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until the tomatoes have just started to wilt and release some juice.
Assembly
  1. Cook the pasta until al dente, drain, and then return to the pasta pot.
  2. Add the pink pasta sauce and cook over low heat for one to two minutes, stirring the pasta and sauce together.
  3. Ladle the pasta into bowls and top with the cherry tomatoes. Garnish with the chopped parsley or basil and top with Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • This recipe will serve 4 as a main course or 8 as a side dish.

Nutrition Information

Calories 761kcal (38%) Carbohydrates 109g (36%) Protein 23g (46%) Fat 28g (43%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 76mg (25%) Sodium 1339mg (56%) Potassium 1308mg (37%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 16g (32%) Vitamin A 5179IU (104%) Vitamin C 81mg (90%) Calcium 243mg (24%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 761

% Daily Value*

Calories 761kcal 38%
Carbohydrates 109g 36%
Protein 23g 46%
Fat 28g 43%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 76mg 25%
Sodium 1339mg 56%
Potassium 1308mg 28%
Fiber 8g 32%
Sugar 16g 32%
Vitamin A 5179IU 104%
Vitamin C 81mg 90%
Calcium 243mg 24%
Iron 6mg 33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.