Creamy Tomato Sauce (without cream!)

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Creamy tomato sauce without cream? Say no more! This pink pasta sauce recipe is simple (like 4 ingredients simple), delicious, and so much healthier than traditional creamy tomato sauces!

Plate of spaghetti with creamy tomato sauce and another plate and pan of more sauce to the left. A wine cork and basil leaves are placed around the scene.

Pink Pasta Sauce Recipe

This recipe is a staple in our household because it tastes SO good but it's also one of the easiest sauce recipes out there!

Start by mincing fresh garlic and sautéing in olive oil until it starts to turn golden. Then add cherry tomatoes and cook until their skins start bursting open. Add salt and pepper to taste (and any other seasonings you may want - red pepper flakes if you like it spicy!). Pour the cooked tomato mixture into a blender with a few leaves of fresh basil and blend on high until creamy. Voila! Creamy tomato sauce sans cream (or any dairy for that matter). It's literally so easy yet so delicious, making it one of our favorite tomato sauce recipes.

Recipe FAQ

Is jarred tomato sauce healthy?

We get this question a lot as dietitians. Generally speaking, it's okay. We recommend homemade tomato sauce because it has fewer ingredients and is less processed. Some jarred tomato sauces have added sugar and other preservatives that homemade sauce does not.

How do you store homemade tomato sauce?

We keep it in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer! We love making a big batch of this creamy tomato sauce and freezing some of it for another day. One of our favorite tricks is freezing it in ice cube trays so it's easy to portion out for various meals (instead of thawing a giant container for one meal).

How can you make tomato sauce more flavorful?

There are many ways! Adding more garlic or some diced onion to the oil when sauteeing garlic will add quite a bit of flavor. You can also add Italian seasonings like dried basil, rosemary, and/or oregano. A few pinches of grated parmesan cheese will add flavor too!

How do you sauté fresh garlic?

This can be tricky but easy to get the hang of! You want to keep an eye on the garlic, as it can burn quickly and have a burnt, pungent flavor. The garlic will become very fragrant and start to turn golden brown; that's when we add whatever other ingredients you're using or remove it from the heat to prevent it from burning.

A large saucepan full of creamy tomato sauce with two plates of pasta, a garlic clove and basil leaves, and open bottle of wine around the pan.

How is this creamy tomato sauce healthy?

Vodka sauce is delicious, don't get me wrong. But as a dietitian, I'm always on the lookout for healthier alternatives that actually taste good and this recipe is one of those. Typical vodka sauce uses vodka and heavy cream, which can make the sauce heavier and thus higher in fat and total calories. Blending the olive oil with the other ingredients causes the oil to thicken and gives the sauce a lighter, slightly orange-y pink color, as if you used cream. However, this version is lower in calories and saturated fat! Plus it uses all fresh ingredients, which tend to naturally have more nutrients than jarred sauces.

A plate of spaghetti with a pan of creamy tomato sauce, another plate of pasta, and wine bottle in the background. A fork is full of a bite of spaghetti covered in the creamy tomato sauce.

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If you give this recipe a try, please rate and review it below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on Insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!