You have been eating pasta for ages, but do you know how many different types of pasta sauce there are? How many types can you tell? If you are searching for an ultimate list of pasta sauce, then congratulations, you have come to the right place!
Pasta sauce is the wonderful mixture that brings all the flavors and aroma for a pasta dish. The sauce can deeply influence the taste of the whole dish. So learning more about the types of pasta sauce will help you a lot in choosing the perfect one for your pasta.
Types Of Pasta Sauce You Should Definitely Try
Without further ado, let’s get straight to the complete list of most typical pasta sauces that I think you have to know. They can greatly enhance the flavor of your next pasta party.
1. Marinara Sauce
Marinara is among the most common types of pasta sauce! It mainly includes tomatoes with some Italian herbs and spices, such as oregano, basil, and garlic. Thus, this pasta sauce is often compared with pizza sauce.
Marinara sauce is one of the most versatile pasta sauces for almost anything, from lasagna to chicken parmesan. However, make sure you know how to differentiate marinara from other pasta sauces before using it. It’s alsoa dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks!
Let’s learn how to make an original Marinara sauce with this chef!
2. Alfredo Sauce
If I have to choose a word to describe Alfredo pasta sauce, I will use “rich” because its creaminess is undeniable. It consists of thick cream, butter, and cheese. This sauce can go with long pasta noodles (like fettuccine), baked pasta, and many appetizers.
In terms of savory dishes, many people like to combine Alfredo sauce with seafood and meat, especially shrimp and chicken. These dishes can pair with a glass of white wine.
3. Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese pasta sauce is a versatile and savory meat-based sauce that you can use for almost any pasta type. It is especially appropriate for those who are meat lovers. It may include ground beef, tomatoes, nutmeg, celery, onion, and many more.
You may wonder about the shelf life of this pasta sauce inside a refrigerator. The great news is that it may last for a couple of days (about 4 to 5 days) before getting rotten. So feel free to mix it with different recipes!
4. Carbonara Sauce
Like Alfredo sauce, Carbonara sauce consists of heavy cream with some other ingredients. If you have a craving for something different from the traditional tomato-based sauce, try Carbonara. It also contains a lot of grated cheese, eggs, bacon, or pork.
What makes Carbonara so distinctive from other types of pasta sauce is definitely the egg. It will stick to the pasta when you cook the pasta and the sauce together.
Carbonara sauce tastes super rich and creamy. People often add this sauce directly to the long thick pasta noodles that they are cooking.
5. Truffle Cream Pasta Sauce
You are probably aware that truffles are one of the most expensive mushrooms! Many truffle species are rare and may only appear in specific regions. If you can get your hands on them, try this truffle cream pasta sauce made with butter and cheese.
This cream sauce with truffle can get along well with types of pasta like tagliatelle pasta. If you made Truffle Cream pasta sauce at home, you should use the ready-made truffles for a more affordable price than the raw ones.
Make a whole complete pasta dish with genuine Truffle Cream sauce!
6. Vegan Tomato Pasta Sauce
What if there’s a vegan participant in your party? Don’t worry; a vegan-friendly version of tomato pasta sauce does exist! This sauce may contain really simple components like tomato, garlic, and herbs that are totally safe for a vegetarian.
For meat-based sauces like Ragu and Bolognese, you can replace the ground meat with Quorn or seasoned tofu to make special vegan pasta sauces. It tastes like other tomato-based sauces, so you can combine it with any type of pasta or noodle you want.
7. Ragu Sauce
Sometimes mistaken as Bolognese sauce, Ragu is the meatiest pasta sauce. To be clear, Bolognese is a type of Ragu. This thick sauce includes mostly meat, such as beef and sometimes chicken, pork, veal, or even horse meat. It is best to serve with long noodles.
8. Pesto Sauce
Pesto sauce is a wholesome sauce including basil, fresh herbs, olive oil, pine nuts, spices, and a lot of cheese, which is usually Parmesan. It has a very sharp taste and signature green color, which is from basil.
You can use Pesto sauce to replace the classic tomato sauce for any pasta dish. This sauce is also fantastic to spread on sandwiches or mix in salad dressing.
Here’s what’s included in fresh green Pesto sauce!
9. Amatriciana Pasta Sauce
The traditional Amatriciana pasta sauce originates from a town called Amatrice in Italy, hence the name. It consists of tomatoes, guanciale (cured pork cheek), olive oil, and cheese (often Pecorino Romano cheese). You should pair this sauce with long noodles like spaghetti.
10. Funghi e Piselli Pasta Sauce
Funghi e Piselli pasta sauce is a healthy and light sauce that you can mix with short pasta, such as fusilli or rigatoni. This vegetarian-friendly sauce consists of simple ingredients, like mushrooms, onions, peas, and garlic, but it will make your dish very rich and creamy.
11. Aglio e Olio Sauce
Aglio e Olio sauce is a delectable pasta sauce without tomatoes. “Aglio e Olio” is literally “garlic and oil,” but its recipe is actually more than that with chili and Parmesan cheese. This sauce can suit well with some spaghetti for a wonderful dinner.
12. Cacio e Pepe Sauce
Cacio e Pepe sauce includes two simple components that I believe many of you’ve already had in hand: cheese and black pepper. You may want to combine this mixture with some freshly cooked long spaghetti noodles. The cheese will melt right on the noodles!
13. Arrabbiata Sauce
Arrabbiata sauce is a spicy Italian sauce with dried red chili peppers. It also contains tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. You can use this type of pasta sauce for any kind of pasta, from baked pasta to zucchini noodles.
14. Béchamel Pasta Sauce
Béchamel sauce, known as white sauce pasta, is a super cheesy and creamy sauce including butter, milk, and flour. It has a really smooth and shiny texture that will entice you to have a hearty meal with pasta right away. You can mix or spread it over baked macaroni and cheese dishes.
Get the brilliant tips for the perfect Béchmel pasta sauce right away!
15. Frutti di Mare Pasta Sauce
The special Frutti di Mare Pasta Sauce consists of delectable seafood to satisfy your craving. It has mussels, baby clams, shrimp, squid, and veggies like tomatoes, onions, basil, etc. The savoriness of seafood goes hand in hand with spicy red pepper flakes in this sauce.
Frutti di Mare pasta sauce can suit really well with long spaghetti noodles or any type of your favorite pasta! Try it for the saucy and tasty pasta dish that is different from the traditional ones.
16. Salsa di Noci Pasta Sauce
Salsa di Noci pasta sauce is another traditional Italian sauce based on walnuts (the literal translation of its name is “walnut sauce”). Sometimes, people also include pine nuts and white wine in it.
It tastes delicate and subtle with a touch of nuts and works really well with short fresh pasta like corzetti or trofie. It can be a suitable sauce for almost any type of pasta and noodle, from long, thin types like spaghetti to thick types like pici.
Spread Salsa di Noci pasta sauce on some slices of crusty bread or crostini to kick off a new day. You may also want to serve this sauce as an antipasto or a classic appetizer dish.
17. Brown Butter Sauce
Try to replace the essential butter in your pasta sauce with brown butter. It will result in an aromatic, buttery, and creamy sauce, which helps enhance the flavor of your dish with a hint of nutty notes! You can use this simple brown butter sauce for whatever pasta you like.
18. Vodka Sauce
Vodka sauce is another unique sauce that you can pair with your pasta! The most special thing is that it has vodka as the main ingredient. It is a mixture of cream, tomato sauce, and a twist of vodka, which will absorb the tomato taste in the sauce.
Vodka sauce is a great one to stand in place of Marinara or Alfredo pasta sauce. It can go well with short pasta types like penne or rigatoni.
This vodka sauce on penne pasta will be the most irresistible dish you’ve ever tasted!
19. Puttanesca Sauce
Puttanesca sauce also begins with tomatoes, but it will have more flavorful components, such as anchovies, capers, olives, and red pepper flakes. It tastes and smells much stronger than the classic tomato sauce for pasta with a brininess of anchovies.
Because of the pungent flavor, you should serve this sauce with capellini or spaghetti and some sauteed shrimp.
20. Clam Sauce
Clam pasta sauce is truly a mouth-watering Italian red sauce with tomatoes and authentic clams. The mixture boasts a nice texture and flavorful brininess . You can serve this clam sauce with any of your favorite pasta or spaghetti.
Clam sauce appears any time of the year, but you may find it easier during the Feast of the Seven Fishes (Christmas Eve celebration with fish and seafood by Americans of Italian descent).
21. Pomodoro Sauce
Pomodoro sauce is a basic Italian pasta sauce made of olive oil, onions, garlic cloves, peeled tomatoes, basil leaves, sugar, and kosher salt. This flavorful and fragrant sauce is easy to make and serve with many types of different pasta.
Pick Your Favorite Pasta Sauce For The Wonderful Meal Tonight!
For the best pasta dish, the pasta sauce plays a crucial role. So choosing one out of all those types of pasta may be a challenge at first, but the result will be very satisfying. I hope that after this article, you can figure out the best pasta sauce that suits your taste.
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