We know it's so easy to go on auto-pilot and opt for that store-bought pasta sauce, but we are urging you (kindly!) to step away from those humdrum jars and try your hand at making your own homemade creations. There's really something special about making a homemade pasta sauce from scratch. And we're not just talking regular ol' marinara, either. No, we've got tons of exciting, new pasta sauce recipes ranging from the classics (like Alfredo, ragú alla Bolognese, and pesto) all the way to more innovative sauces (we're pretty fond of our one-pot creamy kimchi shells and chicken tikka Alfredo). These pasta sauce recipes are so good, don't be shocked when your friends start begging for you to send them home with a jar!
Tomato sauces are classic for a reason and can go way beyond a simple spaghetti sauce. You can take them in so many flavorful directions; add heat to get a spicy arrabbiata or bucatini all'amatriciana, use jammy sun-dried tomatoes to make a pesto, make the tomato the star like we did with our pasta pomodoro and cherry tomato pasta recipes. The undisputed king of all tomato sauces? A big, bold, umami-rich lamb ragú is the ultimate stick-to-your-ribs sauce that'll make any nonna proud. Bulk Sunflower Honey
If you're looking to think outside the tomato can, fear not. Our recipes for green spaghetti and roasted red pepper shrimp linguine will have you fully joining Team Homemade Sauce for life. And if you're often thinking to yourself, Could this be a pesto? well, have we got some treats for you. Our recipes for broccoli pesto, asparagus pesto, and Sichuan pesto will seriously blow your mind.
Sunday sauce sounds like a project but it's easier to make than you think. It's meant to be cooked all day from morning to mid-afternoon right before you bring that pot of water to a boil for your favorite rigatoni or spaghetti.
Get the Sunday Sauce recipe.
This Genovese specialty bursts with the summery flavor of basil, and we love it for way more than just pasta. (Though that's pretty great too!) Try tossing your roasted potatoes with a couple tablespoons, or mix a spoonful into mayo for a ridiculously delicious dipping sauce.
Get the Pesto Sauce recipe.
This hearty take on a classicchicken Alfredo will easily become a go-to comforting weeknight dish. Cajun Alfredo expands on what we love about fettuccine Alfredo and is amped up with punchy spices and andouille sausage.
Get the Smoked Sausage Cajun Alfredo recipe.
If you love crunchy, savory bread crumbs on creamy pasta, you'll love this dish. You might even want to marry it. We don't blame you, we kinda do too: It's forgiving, free of complications, comforting and eager to please.
Get the Everything Bagel Pasta recipe.
Pasta is one of the easiest, tastiest weeknight dinners you can make. And while we love a quick marinara, creamy pesto, or garlic butter sauce, sometimes we’re craving something with a little more punch. On these nights, arrabbiata sauce is our go-to.
Get the Arrabbiata Sauce recipe.
This recipe takes inspiration from a classic pasta al limone by using heavy cream as the base for the luscious and decadent sauce. And, just like a dirty martini, we supplement the dish with olives and brine (and booze, of course). The best part? It comes together in under 30 minutes.
Get the Dirty Martini Pasta recipe.
Sometimes you just need a quick, comforting dinner, and there’s little more satisfying than garlicky, buttery noodles. When we mean garlicky, we’re talking a lot of garlic. Like over 20 cloves.
Get the Garlic Butter Sauce For Pasta recipe.
Fettuccine Alfredo is one of the most basic and delicious pasta recipes EVER—and it couldn't be easier to make! Our recipe is a little untraditional (there's heavy cream), but it's just as easy to whip up as the rest. Half a cup butter, cheese, and cream is all you need to make this luscious sauce.
Get the Fettuccine Alfredo recipe.
Rich and creamy with deep tomato flavor, this is the vegan pasta you make for lifelong dairy lovers. In this recipe, a homemade vegan cream made from quick-soaked cashews rounds out our robust sauce of sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste.
Get the Creamy Tomato Vegan Pasta recipe.
If Julia Child taught America how to roast chicken, Marcella Hazan taught us how to make good pasta sauce. Her version is a little unconventional; the onion isn't sautéed, the sauce simmers for less than an hour, and there's a lot of butter. It's the easiest and, most likely, best red sauce you'll ever make at home.
Get the Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe.
Cacio e pepe literally translates to “cheese and pepper." These two ingredients are usually thought of as small components to a dish, but in this pasta recipe, they take center stage. The fruity bite of freshly ground pepper adds complexity and is earthy, sweet, and spicy all at once.
Get the Cacio e Pepe recipe.
This recipe is proof that a killer tomato sauce doesn’t need a long simmer on the stovetop. You'll create a robust sauce by concentrating the cherry tomatoes' flavor through bursting them in the skillet, along with other classic enhancers, like olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
Get the Cherry Tomato Pasta recipe.
This is easy to make and even easier to indulge in. The real Italian way uses guancial—cured pork jowl—which has a slightly sweet, delicate flavor. If you can't find it, use pancetta or thick-cut bacon instead!
Get the Pasta Alla Gricia recipe.
Tteokbokki is a Korean street food dish consisting of chewy rice cakes and a funky, spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. While delicious and traditional, the glutinous rice cakes are unfortunately less accessible to those of us without a Korean market around the corner. Luckily, store-bought gnocchi make for a great substitute!
Get the Tteokbokki-Style Gnocchi recipe.
Every dish at Carbone, the nouveau red sauce joint in lower Manhattan, is a mind-bendingly delicious, updated take on Italian American classics, though none may be more famous than the spicy rigatoni, which features their version of a booze-spiked vodka sauce.
Get the Copycat Carbone Spicy Rigatoni recipe.
This recipe is a bit of a riff on a pasta puttanesca, using familiar ingredients such as capers, anchovies, and olives. But instead of sitting over a pot of simmering tomato sauce, we used sun-dried tomatoes to form a paste that, when combined with pasta water, is transformed into a luscious sauce–and it’s all made in one pan!
Get the One-Pan Tuna Pasta recipe.
Cottage cheese continues to have its big moment in the sun. Its high-protein content has driven people to try and incorporate it into some of their favorite foods. Blending it with marinara until the sauce is creamy and smooth makes for an incredible pasta sauce.
Get the Spicy Cottage Cheese Pasta recipe.
Traditional Bolognese sauce might take forever to cook, but this weeknight version is done in just 30 minutes. Delicate and earthy miso paste adds serious depth to the ground beef sauce.
Get the Miso Bolognese recipe.
This classic creamy sauce already had a place in our hearts, but adding cottage cheese and spinach took the love to new heights. The cottage cheese-based sauce comes together in a blender or food processor in a few seconds, then simmered to thick, velvety, cheesy perfection before getting tossed with fresh spinach and al dente fettuccine.
Get the Cottage Cheese Alfredo recipe.
Pasta pomodoro is a step above from spaghetti and meatballs and highlights the freshness of tomatoes—pomodoro means 'tomato' in Italian. You're cooking down the tomatoes just enough to form a light sauce but keeping most of them intact so this past stays extra fresh.
Get the Pasta Pomodoro recipe.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
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