Types Of Pasta Sauces

There's many different types of pasta sauces, so broaden your horizons and experiment a little with different tastes and flavors to make your pasta an exciting new dish. When pairing your pasta with a sauce, keep in mind that the thinner pastas like vermicelli and angel hair usually go good with lighter sauces and thicker pasta like ziti go better with the chunky sauces.

Types Of Pasta Sauces

Pesto

This old standby made with olive oil, basil, parmesan cheese and sometimes pine nuts or walnuts is tasty and good for you too! it is thought to be descended from garlic sauces used in ancient Rome. It comes from the region of Liguria and is named after the method used to combine the ingredients - grinding or pestatura - or crushing with a mortar (mortaio) and pestle (pestello).

Cream Sauce

These rich pasta sauces combine cream and cheese for a decadent delight. There are many variations including a creamy marinara that combines cream, cheese and marinara into a tasty sauce.

Marinara

The typical red sauce made with tomatoes is the spaghetti topping we all know and love. Of course there are many variations, you can add any number of vegetables such as peppers, mushrooms, onions and herbs such as basil. How about adding some meat like Hamburg, sausage or chicken. My mother makes a version where she simmers it on the stove all day with chicken in the sauce – at the end of the day the chicken will melt in your mouth!

Fish Sauce

You can even use fish to make pasta sauces! Mediterranean eating is heavy on fish and almost anything can be used in a sauce. Shellfish, clams, anchovies, tuna, salmon. You name it! Fish sauce with pasta can be a unique experience.

Mushrooms

Pasta goes great with a mushroom sauce, you can combine them with cream, oil or lemon. Maybe a mushroom and tomato sauce is more your style? Mushrooms have a earthy meaty taste that can add to the dish without having to add meat.