68 Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes That Aren't Marinara
We’ll always love you, marinara, but it’s time we started seeing other homemade pasta sauces. From a vibrantly green herb-focused linguine to a throw-together pantry pesto, a red-wine soaked spaghetti to our best alfredo, these homemade pasta sauce recipes are the perfect thing when you need a break from red sauce.
Alex Lau1/68Butternut Squash Agnolotti
Agnolotti is one of our favorite pasta shapes because the little pockets catch the sauce; try a variation with a simple ricotta filling and marinara sauce instead. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make agnolotti.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime2/68Red Wine Spaghetti
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Food Styling by Frances Boswell, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson6/68Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio7/68Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio8/68Kale Pesto With Whole Wheat Pasta
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova9/68Pantry Pasta With Vegan Cream Sauce
Many vegan cream sauces rely on blended nuts or steamed cauliflower, but this sauce is made of beans and pasta water alone—no soaking or blending necessary. It’s important that the beans are adequately hydrated: Once you start mashing, make sure there’s plenty of pasta cooking liquid in the pot and don’t let it evaporate.
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski12/68Pantry Pasta
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk14/68Spaghetti With No-Cook Puttanesca
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen23/68Orecchiette with Buttermilk, Peas, and Pistachios
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht26/68BA’s Best Lasagna
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boystova35/68BA's Best Linguine and Clams
Clams vary in brininess and the amount of liquid they’ll release during cooking, so you’ll need to adjust the salt and add pasta water accordingly. To prevent the sauce from getting too salty, we recommend a measured amount of salt for the pasta water. If possible, look for an artisanal dried pasta for this recipe—the rougher surface texture will catch the slippery sauce better.
Photo by Christina Holmes, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kaitlyn Du Ross40/68Winter Squash Carbonara with Pancetta and Sage
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott46/68Anchovy Pasta With Garlic Breadcrumbs
Memorize how to make the addictively crunchy breadcrumbs in this dish; use them to top all your favorite pasta recipes forevermore.
