Pasta Sauces you Could Prepare at Home

Pasta is easy and quick to cook, and parents with young children know exactly how much kids love it. But plain old pasta can get boring in any household though it is a versatile dish.

Making fun and unique pasta sauce can easily spruce up any pasta dinner for your family. 

It may be tempting to just use a pasta sauce found in a jar or can. However, making pasta sauce at home has several benefits. If you have picky eaters in your family, making your pasta sauce from scratch allows you to control exactly how it tastes. In addition, homemade pasta sauce is a healthier and fresher alternative to the canned stuff. 

Here are four easy pasta sauces that anyone can make at home.

• Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is by far the most popular pasta sauce. Making a homemade marinara can spice up your family’s pasta life! The classic marinara sauce is tomato-based. The vast majority of people will just use canned marinara sauce. However, a homemade marinara sauce doesn’t take very long and will taste way better than a store-bought sauce. You should end up with a bright and lively red sauce that is light and not too heavy. 

Usually, a marinara sauce can be served with just about any pasta. 

Spaghetti and rigatoni are the most popular kinds of pasta to serve marinara. One great thing about marinara sauce is that it can be used as a base for multiple other popular sauces. For instance, bolognese sauce is essentially just marinara sauce with meat.

To make marinara sauce, the most important ingredient is tomatoes.

If possible, search for canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes. These are the most popular canned tomatoes in Italy. They are only grown in one region in Italy and are prized for their sweet and robust flavor. If you can’t find San Marzano DOP tomatoes, just use any other canned tomato from your local store. In addition, you usually need olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano.

• Pesto Sauce

If you’ve never tried making homemade pesto, now is the time to start. Homemade pesto is one of the easiest and most delicious pasta sauces you can make at home. While it may be tempting to take a can of pesto sauce and dump it on your pasta, the homemade version is infinitely more delicious.

Homemade pesto has a fresh and earthy flavor. 

The olive oil and Parmesan cheese stick to your palate and contrast wonderfully with fresh basil.

Pesto is best served as a fresh sauce doused on top of your favorite pasta shape. Try to use pasta that is either curved or hollow so that the sauce gets into the nook and crannies of the pasta for maximum flavor such as penne tubes.

Pesto is essentially a blended mixture of herbs and fats. 

The most important ingredient for pesto is fresh basil.If available, you can opt for a living basil plant from your local grocery store. You also want to purchase some fresh pine nuts and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. True Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is expensive, but it is worth the price for the delicious nutty flavor that it adds to the pesto. You will also need garlic and lots of olive oil to act as the liquid for your sauce.

• Alfredo Sauce

Few things are more decadent and delicious than a creamy homemade alfredo sauce. Alfredo sauce is a white sauce that is usually filled with cheese. The sauce is rather light in flavor and is usually prized more for its creaminess than strong taste.

The best pasta to use alfredo with is up to you. However, many people love using longer and thicker pasta like linguine for soaking up all of that delicious alfredo sauce.

For making alfredo sauce, the most important ingredient is cheese. 

Just like with the pesto recipe, it is worth investing in expensive real Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese. In an alfredo sauce, using this cheese is important because it needs to melt. If you use powdered parmesan or other substitutes, your sauce will become grainy. These cheeses contain many preservatives that ruin their ability to melt. In addition, you want to use good quality butter and heavy cream to give your sauce the ultimate richness. Many people also love adding garlic to their alfredo sauce.

• Aglio e Olio Sauce

Aglio e Olio sauce may just be the easiest pasta sauce you can prepare at home. Although not everyone is familiar with how to make this sauce, it is incredibly easy. Aglio e olio is a very light sauce in terms of its viscosity. The dominant flavor in aglio e olio is garlic mixed with olive oil. Some people like to add in a pinch of red chili flakes to turn their sauce a bit spicy.

Traditionally, aglio e olio is served with spaghetti as the pasta. 

Spaghetti aglio e olio can be found in many Italian restaurants around the world. However, you can use any shape of pasta you want! Usually, aglio e olio is a combination of thinly sliced or minced garlic gently cooked in olive oil and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. For making aglio e olio at home, make sure you use high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, so make sure you put the extra effort it requires.

For many of us, pasta is the ultimate comfort food. With these four basic sauces, you can create a tasty yet simple pasta dish. If you are a beginner, make sure you learn how to cook your pasta in addition to making these sauces. A good and tasty dish depends on using quality ingredients and learning how to cook them correctly. Do you know any beginners pasta sauce? Don’t forget to let us know in the comments below.

Author Bio:

Hi, I’m Rana and I blog at ranasrecipe.com. My passion for food began very early in my life. And after managing a cafe, a granola business and helping other food businesses scale up, I found my true calling in creating wonderful recipes so that everyone can enjoy cooking as much as I do!

Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/ranasrecipe/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ranasrecipe/

Rana Madanat

Hi, I’m Rana Madanat and I blog at ranasrecipe.com. My passion for food began very early in my life. And after managing a cafe, a granola business and helping other food businesses scale up, I found my true calling in creating wonderful recipes so that everyone can enjoy cooking as much as I do!

Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/ranasrecipe/
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ranasrecipe/