This collection of easy homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes will take your Italian nights to a new level of delicious!
You’ll find all the classics like marinara, pesto, alfredo, bolognese in this unique pasta sauce recipes list… Plus, we’ve found some unique regional specialties that you may have never heard of.
No matter what types of pasta sauce you’re looking for, this is the place to find it all your favorite Pasta Sauces.
All of these pasta sauces are so good, you’ll have a hard time picking a favorite!
The Best Pasta Sauce Recipes:
1. Marinara Sauce
Spaghetti and meatballs… Lasagna… Eggplant Parmesan… Manicotti… Chicken Parm… What do these Italian delights have in common? Marinara sauce!!!
Once you make your own. you’ll never go back to store bought!
2. Bolognese Sauce
This Bolognese Sauce Recipe has layers of flavors, and is going to elevate your pasta nights to new levels!
Rich and meaty, it simmers for hours. But at the end, it’s so worth the wait when you take your first bite of the perfect final product. It’s a versatile sauce that can go with a variety of pasta shapes.
3. Pesto Sauce
Pesto! This classic sauce from Genoa is an Italian classic. It’s a blend of the freshness of basil, the pungency of garlic, the buttery nuttiness of pine nuts, and of course some nice olive oil.
This wonderful sauce will make you fall in love with Italian food all over again!
4. Arrabiata Sauce
Heat it up with this spicy Arrabiata sauce! A simple tomato sauce base gets a kick from a generous addition of red chili flakes.
It’s very similar to marinara, but with the addition of heat.
Get the Recipe: Arrabbiata Sauce
5. Ragu
Ragu is a rich, thick meat sauce enhanced by tomatoes, red wine and herbs.
It’s a hearty sauce that goes with a variety of pasta shapes. This is one that is best when cooked a long time.
6. Pomodoro Sauce
Pomodoro sauce is another popular Italian tomato sauce. It’s very similar to marinara, but is cooked down more for a smoother, but thicker texture.
The beauty here lies in its simplicity. Olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil and just a touch of red chili flakes. That’s all you need for this Italian classic Pasta Sauce…
7. Vodka Sauce
Vodka sauce is a tomato based sauce that gets enhanced with cream, red chili flakes, and a touch of vodka.
It goes great with a variety of pasta shapes, and pairs well with chicken or shrimp.
8. Clam Sauce
This Clam Sauce recipe is so simple, yet so good!
With only olive oil, garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and the clams’ own juices, you get a divine seafood pasta sauce. It goes especially well with linguine and spaghetti.
9. Creamy Ground Chicken Sauce
This Creamy Ground Chicken Sauce is so comforting! It will be on your dinner table all week long!
It is incredibly easy to make and has a ton of flavor, so it’s perfect for weeknight dinners.
10. Creamy Sausage Sauce
Enjoy this comforting, Creamy Sausage Sauce recipe with Italian sausage and your favorite pasta smothered in a decadent garlic, spinach and parmesan sauce.
This 20 minutes restaurant quality dinner is going to be an instant family favorite.
11. Puttanesca Sauce
Puttanesca sauce is the ultimate pantry staple pasta sauce. It’s light, yet boldly flavored with garlic, anchovies, olives and capers. Easy enough for a busy weeknight, puttanesca is also company worthy.
Toss it with spaghetti for a light and simple Italian night.
12. Pastalaya Sauce
Jambalaya Pasta, aka Pastalaya, is a super tasty dish featuring shrimp, chicken and sausage smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce full of Louisiana flavors.
It’s like everyone’s favorite jambalaya, but with pasta instead of rice. How cool!
13. Stroganoff
Stroganoff is a sour cream based sauce featuring sliced or ground beef. Invented in Russia, it found its way to the US via China.
Although it can be eaten with rice or mashed potatoes, we love it best served with pasta.
14. Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Here’s everyone’s childhood favorite, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. It’s such a classic, easy and loved by everyone.
This recipe is super meaty and saucy at the same time. Everyone will have fun twirling those noodles when this comes to the table.
15. Rasta Sauce
Hey mon, take your pasta to the Caribbean with this tasty Rasta Sauce! It’s a popular Jamaican sauce that uses heavy cream, parmesan, mozzarella cheese, and awesome Caribbean seasonings.
When you want to go beyond Italian, this one is a real winner!
16. Fra Diavolo
This one is for spice lovers! Well, it’s literally in the name. Fra Diavolo translates to “brother devil” in Italian, earning its name due to the kick it gets from red chili flakes.
This one commonly includes shrimp or other seafood.
17. Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo is surely one of the most popular pasta sauces, and for good reason!
The simple combination of butter, cream and cheese is as delectable as it is simple. It’s commonly eaten with fettuccine or short pasta, and forms the base for some of the later items on this list.
18. Baked Feta Sauce
If you haven’t tried the mega viral Baked Fate Pasta from TikTok, it’s about time you do!
It’s a unique and easy kitchen hack that results in a creamy and delicious feta pasta sauce that you’ll want to make again and again.
19. Carbonara
Carbonara is one of our favorite pasta sauces. It’s creamy and cheesy, with a big flavor boost from bacon.
Try it with additional chicken, sausage, shrimp, or all three!
20. Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e pepe is as simple as you can get. Meaning “cheese and pepper”, literally all you need is Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, along with a little pasta water.
For all its simplicity, this is one of the classic beloved pasta sauces.
Get the Recipe @ cookingclassy
21. Scampi
Buttery… garlicky… decadent. That’s how we would described scampi.
Most commonly associated with shrimp, this sauce can also accommodate other seafoods, or chicken.
We prefer it with angel hair, but long flat pastas like linguine or fettuccine also pair well.
Get the Recipe @ themediterraneandish
22. Mac and Cheese Sauce
Mac and cheese is one of the most popular foods in the world, so you better make sure you have a good sauce for it!
This recipe is super creamy and super cheesy, so it’s sure to impress.
23. Genovese Sauce
Genovese Sauce is a very simple, slow braised beef and onion sauce, very popular in Naples.
It is usually served with tube shaped pasta such as ziti or rigatoni.
Get the Recipe @ insidetherustickitchen
24. Checca Sauce
Checca Sauce is an uncooked tomato sauce, also featuring olive oil, basil and fresh mozzarella cheese.
It’s a great summer recipe when the heirloom tomatoes are in season.
Get the Recipe @ pinchandswirl
25. Amatriciana
Amatriciana is one of the most popular Roman pasta sauce recipes. Made with canned tomatoes, pancetta, and other flavor enhancers, it is so easy and flavorful!
Get the Recipe @ abeautifulplate
26. Frutti di Mare Sauce
Frutti di Mare Sauce is for the seafood lovers!
It is a flavorful, decadent sauce that has a variety of seafoods in a thick red homemade arrabiata sauce. This is one of our favorite pasta sauce recipes.
Get the Recipe @ spoonforkbacon
27. Roasted Garlic Alfredo
Enhance your regular classic alfredo with homemade roasted garlic. The roasted garlic adds a rich umami flavor to this sauce.
It’s great with fettuccini or short pasta shapes.
Get the Recipe @ lifesambrosia
28. Brown Butter Sauce
Sometimes, simple is best. This sauce requires only four ingredients: butter, salt, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese.
It’s so easy, but makes for a special side dish.
Get the Recipe @ gimmesomeoven
29. Pesto Rosso
Made with sun dried tomatoes, roasted almonds and extra virgin olive oil, pesto rosso is a tasty twist on your conventional green pesto sauce.
It’s an easy make ahead sauce, that requires no cooking and can be refrigerated for several days.
Get the Recipe @ stripedspatula
30. Fajita Pasta Sauce
Give your pasta night a Mexican twist with this fajita pasta sauce.
Chicken, peppers and fajita seasoning stand out in this creamy sauce. Toss with your favorite pasta shape for an awesome fusion dinner.
Get the Recipe @ thecookierookie
31. Salsa di Noci
Salsa di Noci, or walnut sauce, is a simple, no cook sauce. It’s not as famous as pesto, but it deserves to be.
This tasty sauce is very versatile, and goes equally well with both long and short pasta.
Get the Recipe @ insidetherustickitchen
32. Eggplant and Tomato Sauce
This Eggplant and Tomato Sauce recipe is a perfect summer pasta sauce.
Made with sautéed eggplants, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, this meatless sauce goes especially well with short pasta shapes.
33. Makaronia Me Kima
Makaronia Me Kima is a Greek twist on Bolognese sauce.
It is a rich meat sauce with tomato and red wine, but this recipe also has cinnamon, allspice and cloves to give it a uniquely Greek flavor, similar to the sauce in moussaka.
Get the Recipe @ tarasmulticulturaltable
34. Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This absolutely delicious Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is so flavorful. It’s great with any kind of pasta, as well as chicken, seafood or veggies.
Get the Recipe @ asaucykitchen
35. Aglio e Olio
Aglio e Olio, or garlic and oil, is a classic pasta sauce that could not get much simpler.
Toss it with spaghetti for a lunch, light main, or side to your favorite protein.
Get the Recipe @ themediterraneandish
Conclusion
What a great collection of pasta sauce recipes! There are so many types of pasta sauce, it’s hard to pick just one to cook tonight!
Whether you prefer a traditional tomato-based sauce or one with a twist, there is something here for everyone. There are so many wonderful and creative recipes to explore when it comes to pasta sauce, and we can’t wait to hear what yummy and unique ideas you come up with.
Check out these other great recipe collections!
Pasta Recipes
Italian Recipes
Pizza Recipes
Pasta Salad Recipes
Pesto Recipes
Orzo Recipes
Gnocchi Recipes
Penne Recipes
35 BEST Homemade Pasta Sauces
This collection of easy homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes will take your Italian nights to a new level of delicious! For a real classic, try this basic marinara:
Ingredients
- 2 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 finely chopped onions
- 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- fresh basil
- fresh oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste
- Sugar, to taste
Instructions
- In large, heavy bottomed pan, add olive oil, onion, garlic and half of the herbs. Slowly bring up heat and cook until softened.
- While other ingredients are heating up, pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush them by hand into large chunks.
- Add tomatoes, black pepper and red pepper to pan, simmer for 45 minutes, partially covered.
- Remove from heat, taste. Does it need a little salt or sugar? Add to your liking. Mix in fresh herbs. Done!
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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