14 Popular Pasta Sauces and Their Ingredients

Pasta Knowledge: Popular Pasta Sauces

14 Popular Pasta Sauces

1. Bolognese Sauce
2. Carbonara Sauce
3. Beef Short Rib Ragout
4. Tomato Sauce/ Chunky Tomato Sauce
5. Seafood Marinara Sauce
6. Putanesca Sauce
7. Amatriciana Sauce
8. Alfredo Sauce
9. Vongole Sauce
10. Bechamel
11. Quattro Formaggi Sauce
12. Aglio olio
13. Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce
14. Basil Pesto

Pasta Sauce

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1. Bolognese Sauce/ Ragù Alla Bolognese

• The Famous Pasta Sauce in the world, Originally from Bologna, Italian dishes.
• Common Ingredients: Ground meat (beef, veal, chicken or pork), Chopped garlic,  Bronoise Mirepoix (onion, carrot celery), wine (red wine or white wine), Tomato Sauce or chunky tomato sauce, demi-glace, Herbs (dried oregano, fresh basil, and dried bay leaf).
• Types of Pasta: Spaghetti, Rigatoni, Ribbon pasta (Tagliatelle, Pappardelle, or Fettuccine), Lasagna,  Cannelloni, etc.
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagna alla Bolognese, Tagliatelle Ragu alla Bolognese, Parpadalle Ragu alla bolognese, Manicoti ala Bolognese, Baked Pasta Bolognese, etc.

Bolognese Sauce
Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagna and Baked Pasta Bolognese

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2. Carbonara

• One of the popular sauce. Originally from Rome, Italian dishes.
• Classic  Ingredients: Whole egg and grated hard cheese ( Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano), Diced Guanciale (cured pork cheek), Crack black peppercorn
• Ingredients: Liaison ( Egg yolk and Cream), Crack black peppercorn, Sauteed Pancetta or Bacon, Hard Cheese (Parmesan cheese,  Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano), Chopped boiled egg or Poached egg, and Chopped parsley as the garnish.
• Types of Pasta: Spaghetti, Linguine, Bucatini, Fettuccine, and Rigatoni.
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti Carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara

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3. Braised Short Rip Ragout

• The best sauce for flat pasta
• The Ingredients: Beef short rip, Mirepoix, Red wine, Chunky tomatoes,  Demi-glace
• Types of Pasta: Ribbon pasta (Tagliatelle or Pappardelle), Lasagna, etc.
• Popular Dishes: Short Rib Ragout Lasagna, Pappardelle with Short Rib Ragout, Short Rib Ragout with Tagliatelle Pasta, etc.

Pappardelle with Short Ribs Ragout

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4. Tomato Sauce/ Pomodoro Sauce

• One of the 5 Mother Sauces.
• The Basic Ingredients: Chopped/ Chunky-peeled Roman tomatoes (Blanched Tomato Plum), Olive oil, Minced garlic, Chopped onion, Tomato Paste (additional), Freshly chopped basil leaves, Salt and White pepper.
• Types of Pasta: All of the pasta types
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti al Pomodoro, Penne with Tomato Sauces, etc.

Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti al Pomodoro and Penne with Tomato Sauce

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5. Seafood Marinara Sauce

• One of the tomato sauce derivative
• The Ingredients: Chunky tomato sauce, Chopped garlic, White wine, Seafood (mussel, shrimp, squid, scallop, and fish), and Chopped fresh oregano.
• Types of Pasta: Strand shapes pasta (Spaghetti, Linguine, Capellini, etc.)
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti with Seafood Marinara Sauce, Seafood Linguine Marinara, etc.

Spaghetti with Seafood Marinara Sauce

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6. Puttanesca Sauces

• Unique names of the sauce, Spaghetti Alla Putanesca meaning "spaghetti in the style of a whore/ prostitute"
• Italian sauce from Naples
• Basic Ingredients: Chunky tomato sauce, Anchovies, Capers, Black olive, Chopped garlic, Herbs (fresh oregano)
• Types of Pasta: Strand pasta (Spaghetti, Linguine, Capellini), Fusilli, etc.
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

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7. Amatriciana Sauce

• Traditional Italian pasta sauce, from Amatrice (Lazio region)
• The Ingredients: Chunky tomato sauce, Sliced onion, Sliced cured pork (Guanciale, Bacon or Pancetta), Red chili flake, and garnish with Grated Pecorino Romano cheese and Chopped parsley.
• Types of Pasta: Strand pasta ((Spaghetti, Linguine, Capellini, etc), Bucatini
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti all' Amatriciana, and Bucatini alla Amatriciana.

Buccatini Alla Amatriciana

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8. Alfredo Sauce

• Fettuccine Alfredo, fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese). As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a smooth and rich sauce coating the pasta.
• Classic Italian Alfredo: Butter, Grated parmesan cheese, and Fresh fettuccine pasta
• Chicken Alfredo Sauce Ingredients: Chicken veloute,  Sauteed chopped garlic, Grated Parmesan cheese, Heavy cream, and garnished with Shredded roasted chicken.
• Types of Pasta: Fettuccine, Spaghetti, and Linguine
• Popular Dishes: Fettuccine Alfredo or Fettuccine Al Burro, Fettuccine with Chicken Alfredo Sauce, Spaghetti Chicken Alfredo, Linguine with Shrimp Alfredo.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

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9. Vongole Sauce

• Two kinds of vongole sauce: with cream or without cream
• Vongole with cream (pasta tossed in sauce style): Clam veloute, chopped garlic, white wine, cream, lime juice, Red chili flake (additional), and chopped parsley as the garnish.
• Classic Vongole (sauteing method): Olive oil, Chopped garlic, White wine, Chopped Italian parsley as the garnish.
• Types of Pasta: Spaghetti and Linguine
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti alle Vongole, Linguine Con Vongole or Linguine alle Vongole.

Linguine Alle Vongole

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10. Bechamel

• One of the 5 mother sauces
• The Basic Ingredients: white roux (butter and flour), Milk, Nutmeg, Salt and White pepper
• Types of Pasta: Lasagna, Baked tubular shapes pasta (Macaroni, Cannelloni, Rigatoni, Manicotti, Ziti, etc.)
• Popular Dishes: Lasagna Bolognese as the topping, Chicken Manicotti as the topping, Baked Macaroni as the sauce mix with cheese, etc.

Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

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11. Quattro Formaggi Sauce

• One of the popular sauce for Potato Gnocchi
• The Basic Ingredients: Bechamel sauce + 4 Types of cheese (Fontina, Gorgonzola, Parmesan cheese, and White cheddar cheese)
• Types of Pasta: Gnocchi, Penne, Fettuccine
• Popular Dishes: Gnocchi Quattro Formaggio, Penne ai Quattro Formaggi, Fettuccine Quatro Formaggi, etc.

Gnocchi Quattro Formaggio

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12. Aglio Olio

• Spaghetti Aglio Olio, traditional pasta dishes from Naples, Italy
• The Ingredients: Olive Oil, Chopped Garlic, and Dried red chili flake (additional)
• Method: Sauteing and tossing the ingredients with pasta
• Types of Pasta: Strand pasta (Spaghetti, Linguine, Capellini, etc).
• Popular Dishes: Spaghetti Aglio-Olio e Peperoncino, Lingune Aglio Olio, etc.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

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13. Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce

• Italian-American Pasta Sauce.
• The Ingredients: Smooth tomato sauce, Chopped garlic, Vodka, Balsamic vinegar, Heavy cream, Grated Parmesan cheese, Dried red chili flake (additional), and Chopped fresh basil.
• Types of Pasta: Penne,  Ravioli, Tortellini, Farfalle, Ziti, Orrechiette, and Rigatoni 
• Popular Dishes: Penne with Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce, Orecchiette Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce.

Orecchiette Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce

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14. Basil Pesto

• The original name is Pesto Alla Genovese from Genoa, Italy.
• The Ingredients: Basil leaf, Olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan Cheese
• Types of Pasta: Spaghetti, Linguine, Penne, Fusilli, Trofie pasta, etc.
• Popular Dishes: Ligurian Pasta Trenette, Trofie al Pesto, Penne Pesto Genovese, etc. 

Ligurian Pasta Trenette

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