Pink Sauce Pasta A Toddler Could Make

If you need to know one thing about me, it’s that I was definitely Italian in another life. Even though the genetic testing I did confirmed what I already knew (99% Ashkenazi Jewish/Eastern European), it did tell me be I was 0.8% Sardinian, so I’ll take it. I’ve been lucky enough to go to Italy twice (and plan to go again soon!) and found that I identified so much with the rich culture, history, and food that comes with the territory. One of the most beautiful things about Italian cuisine is its simplicity; the elegant flavor comes from highlighting the quality ingredients and understanding how they blend together. I do my best to recreate it at home, and to be honest, I think this pink sauce pasta is a winner.

If you need to know another thing about me, it’s that I almost never follow traditional recipes to a tee. I like to add my own flare and/or use whatever I have in my fridge. Clearly, I inherited this from my mom, who can never make the same thing twice because her cooking is always a “whatever’s in the fridge” concoction. One could call us the OG #nofoodwaste family. Anyway, this recipe uses goat cheese instead of the heavy cream you’ll find in a lot of other recipes. It provides a delicate creaminess to the sauce without making it overly heavy or too commanding in its presence. This sauce can be enjoyed with pasta, or if you’re trying to limit the carbs, it’d go great on chicken breast, a veggie blend, or a flip-flop really.

Print Recipe

Pink Sauce a la Goat Cheese

So simple, so addicting. Put it on your pasta, chicken breast, veggies, or a flip-flop really.

Course: dinner, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: comfort food, dinner, goat cheese, italian food, pasta, pink sauce

Servings: 6 hungry people

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion diced
• 1 small zucchini thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 4 oz soft, plain goat cheese about 1/2 log
• 1 tbsp butter use oil if you want to reduce fat content
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 handful fresh parsley roughly chopped
• 1 handful fresh basil roughly chopped
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil leaves, red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil on large skillet. Sautee onion and zucchini for ~3 mins, until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and stir to avoid burning the garlic. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil leaves, and red pepper flakes. Stir the mixture together well.
• Add a tablespoon of butter to the mixture until melted.
• Add in most of a can of 28 oz crushed tomatoes. Leave a little on the bottom and use 1/8 cup water to swoosh around the can and get the remaining sauce out. Don’t worry – the water will cook out.
• Throw in 4 oz creamy goat cheese, broken up into pieces, and the fresh herbs. Stir.
• Let the sauce simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add in a splash of pasta water to the sauce and your cooked pasta of choice. Eat up, buttercup.

If you try the recipe or tweak it, leave a comment and a rating below or tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I would love to see what you come up with!

Like this recipe? Try my Mushroom and Parsley Chicken Alfredo