There is something deeply comforting about a homemade sauce simmering on the stove, filling the kitchen with the smell of garlic and basil. This Spicy Blush Sauce recipe is a wonderful way to bring a rich, restaurant-style flavor to your table without much fuss. It uses simple pantry staples and comes together in under an hour, making it a great option for a relaxing family dinner. We love how the brightness of the tomatoes balances with the cream, creating a meal that feels special but is actually quite simple to make.
Why You Will Love This Blush Sauce Recipe
- Better Than Jarred: You get that rich, restaurant-quality flavor using simple pantry staples like canned tomatoes and dried spices.
- Versatile: It isn't just for penne! This sauce is the perfect base for lasagna, a topping for grilled chicken, or a dipping sauce for garlic bread.
- Freezer Friendly: This makes a large batch (8 servings!), so you can freeze half for a busy weeknight next month.
- Customizable Heat: You control the spice level—keep it mild for the kids or add extra red pepper flakes for a kick.
What You Will Need:
- 2-28 ounce cans of whole tomatoes including liquid
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoon of butter
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup of half-and-half or heavy cream
- ½ cup of basil leaves
Ingredient Detail
- Whole Canned Tomatoes We find that using whole canned tomatoes gives the sauce a much better texture than crushed or diced varieties. San Marzano style tomatoes are a wonderful choice if you can find them, as they tend to be sweeter and less acidic. You will just need to crush them by hand or with a spoon before adding them to the pan.
- Heavy Cream or Half-and-Half To get that signature "blush" color and creamy texture, we recommend using heavy cream. If you are looking for something a bit lighter, half-and-half is a great alternative that still adds a lovely richness to the sauce.
- Onion and Garlic These are the aromatic base of the sauce. A yellow or white onion works best here for its savory depth. We suggest using fresh garlic cloves rather than the jarred variety for the most vibrant flavor.
- Butter and Olive Oil Using a combination of butter and olive oil prevents the butter from burning while sautéing the onions, and it adds a velvety finish to the sauce that you just cannot get with oil alone.
- Fresh Basil Adding fresh basil right at the end helps maintain its bright, peppery flavor. It cuts through the richness of the cream and brings a fresh garden taste to the dish.
- Red Pepper Flakes This is where the "spicy" part comes in! We like a little heat, but this is completely optional. Feel free to adjust the amount to suit your family's preference or leave it out entirely for a mild sauce.
How to Make Spicy Blush Sauce
- Preparing the Tomatoes Start by opening your cans of tomatoes and pouring them, juice and all, into a large bowl. Using your hands or a potato masher, gently crush the tomatoes into small, rustic chunks. This simple step ensures you get nice bites of tomato throughout the sauce.
- Cooking the Aromatics Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, butter, diced onion, sea salt, and black pepper. Allow the onions to cook gently until they are soft and translucent, which usually takes about 10 minutes. Once the onions are ready, stir in the crushed garlic and red pepper flakes (if you are using them). Sauté this mixture just until the garlic becomes fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
- Simmering the Sauce Pour the crushed tomatoes from your bowl into the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir everything to combine and let it simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. This gives the flavors time to meld and allows the tomato juices to reduce slightly.
- Adding the Cream Lower the heat slightly and stir in the heavy cream or half-and-half. Watch as the sauce turns that beautiful pink "blush" color. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes so the sauce thickens and becomes rich and velvety.
- Finishing Touches Finally, stir in the fresh basil leaves and let them simmer for just 5 minutes more. Adding the herb at the very end ensures the basil flavor stays bright and does not get lost. You are now ready to serve this creamy sauce over your favorite pasta or chicken!
Variations of the Sauce
You can serve this over pasta with grated cheese. Serve it over chicken is another option! I have used this as a base for lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, and most other red sauce recipes. My family loves it and I hope that yours will too!
The video above gives you a rundown of how to make the sauce. Use the blush sauce with our fresh pasta recipe or serve it with my cheesy meatballs.
There are other great sauces and dressings on my site! Click here to try them!
What to Serve with Blush Sauce
- Use a tubular pasta like penne or rigatoni to hold the sauce, or try making your own with a Fresh Pasta Recipe.
- Use it over this Cheesy Meatball Recipe
- As the sauce in my Italian Pasta Bake Recipe.
FAQ's:
Blush sauce and rose sauce are essentially the same thing! They both refer to a tomato-based sauce with a touch of cream, giving it a pinkish or "blush" color. It's often used as a more descriptive and appealing name for a classic tomato cream sauce.
Yes, absolutely! This sauce is great for meal prep. You can make it a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to use it, just gently reheat it on the stove over low to medium heat.
This versatile sauce pairs well with a variety of pasta shapes. We love it with thick, tubular pasta like penne or rigatoni, which can hold the creamy sauce in its ridges. It's also delicious with long pasta like fettuccine or spaghetti.
The crushed red pepper flakes are completely optional! If you prefer a milder sauce, you can simply leave them out. The recipe will still be rich, creamy, and delicious without the extra heat.
Yes, you can freeze this sauce. To do so, let it cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. It will keep for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use it, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it gently on the stove. You may need to give it a good whisk to recombine the sauce if it separates slightly during thawing.
Recipe
Creamy Blush Sauce Recipe (Tomato Cream Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 - 28 ounce cans of whole tomatoes including liquid
- 1 teaspoon each of sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup of half-and-half or cream
- ½ cup of basil leaves
Method
- Open cans of tomatoes and pour into a large bowl. Crush tomatoes into small chunks with your hands or another utensil.
- Place butter, oil, sea salt, pepper, and onion in a large skillet and cook onion over medium heat until soft.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the same pan and cook until fragrant.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes from the large bowl into the same skillet. Stir to combine and simmer for about 15 minutes over medium heat.
- Add cream, stir to combine well, then simmer over medium heat for another 10 minutes.
- Stir in basil and simmer for another 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Find crushed garlic in sauce pieces and discard. (optional)
- Serve with pasta and grated cheese!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.