6 Easy Pasta Sauces to Know
Garlic and oil, quick marinara, butter and Parmesan, creamy tomato, pesto and lemon ricotta. Six sauces, dozens of dinners.
Learn these six and you will always have a pasta dinner within reach. Each makes enough for 12 ounces of pasta, which serves about four.
The rule behind all of them
Save a mugful of starchy pasta water before you drain. Tossing the pasta with the sauce and a splash of that water is what makes it glossy and clingy instead of dry or oily.
Garlic and oil (aglio e olio)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup pasta water
Warm the oil and garlic together over medium-low heat until the garlic is pale golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pepper flakes, pasta and pasta water and toss hard until glossy. Finish with parsley.
Good with: Spaghetti, a pantry-only dinner
Quick marinara
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 small handful basil
Cook the garlic in the oil for 1 minute, add the tomatoes and salt and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the basil.
Good with: Any pasta, meatballs, dipping
Butter and Parmesan
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Melt the butter with the pasta water, add the pasta, then toss in the Parmesan off the heat until creamy.
Good with: Fettuccine, egg noodlesFull recipe
Creamy tomato
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Soften the onion in the butter, cook the tomato paste until it darkens, 2 minutes, then stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes. Toss with pasta, Parmesan and pasta water.
Good with: Rigatoni, penne, shells
Basil pesto
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pulse the basil, nuts, garlic and salt, then blend in the oil and Parmesan. Loosen with pasta water when tossing.
Good with: Fusilli, gnocchi, flatbreads
Lemon ricotta
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Stir everything together in a large bowl, add the hot pasta and toss until creamy. No cooking needed.
Good with: Short pasta with peas or spinach
Storage
Marinara and pesto keep well: marinara for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen; pesto for 3 to 4 days in the fridge with a thin layer of oil on top, or frozen in ice cube trays. Butter, cream and ricotta sauces are best made fresh.
Looking for a full dinner? Try spicy creamy sausage rigatoni or the one-pot pasta formula.
