6 Pasta Sauces Categories That You Should Know

Pasta Knowledge: Types of Pasta Sauce

What is Pasta Sauces?

• Any of a variety of liquids, toppings, or mixtures of ingredients that enhance the flavor of the pasta dish being served. 
• Italian traditional pasta sauces will generally be categorized as one of the following: Tomato sauces, cream sauces, meat sauces, garlic oil base, or pesto with each variation containing a variety of ingredients mixed into the sauce base.

Pasta Sauces

Read: French Mother Sauces and Their Derivatives

Pasta Sauce Categories

1. Ragout or Ragu
2. Seafood Sauces
3. Vegetable Sauces
4. Cream Sauces
5. Garlic-Oil
6. Uncooked

1. Ragout or Ragu

• Ragout is defined as the sauce that remains after braising a dish. 
• The flavorings, meat, or poultry are browned, and then a tomato product, stock, water, wine, milk, or cream is added. 
• Very common in classic Italian dishes in which much of the tougher cuts of meat are cooked in this method and then combined into the sauce and poured over the pasta.

Kinds of Ragout

• Shredded beef ragout
• Bolognaise Sauce
• Braised Beef ragout
• Tomato Ragout
• Mushroom Ragout
• Seafood Ragout
• Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragout, etc.

Ragout
(Shredded Beef Ragout, Tomato Seafood Ragout, and Bolognaise Sauce)

Read: Popular Pasta Sauce

2. Seafood Sauces

• There are two types of seafood sauces – White and red. 
• White seafood sauces are made and flavored with herbs and made with white wine or stock and cream. 
• A red seafood sauce uses tomato as its base. Very common in Cajun cooking and Central American Cuisine.

Kinds of Seafood Sauce

• Seafood Marinara Sauce
• Creamy Seafood Sauce
• Vongole Sauce (Spaghetti alle vongole)
• Chimayo Sauce (Pasta Chimayo)
• Creole Seafood Sauce (Spicy Shrimp Tomato Sauce)
• Lobster Sauce
• Creamy Crab Sauce.

Seafood Sauces
(Cream Crab Sauce, Seafood Marinara Sauce, and Vongole)

Read: Types of Dried Pasta

3. Vegetable Sauces

• This type of sauce includes both traditional sauces (Made from tomatoes, flavored with basil, garlic, and white pepper) and modern sauces, such as primavera.

Kinds of Vegetable Sauce

• Pasta Primavera
• Tomato Sauce
• Chunky Tomato Sauce
• Mushroom Sauce
• Ratatouille Sauce
• Arrabiata Sauce
• Roaster Red Bell Peppers Sauces

Vegetable Sauces
(Primavera, Creamy Mushroom Sauce, and Tomato Sauce)

Read: Types of Compound Butter

4. Cream Sauces

• Quite simple. Uses cream or milk and sometimes a roux.
• Veloute or bechamel base 
• Cheese is usually added for increased flavor. 

Kinds of Cream Sauce

• Béchamel Sauce
• Alfredo Sauce
• Three Cheese Sauce
• American Cheddar Cheese Sauce
• Cheese Sauce
• Creamy Mushroom Sauce.

Cream Sauces
( Bechamel, Alfredo, and American Cheddar Sauce)

Read: Types of Salads

5. Garlic-Oil or Pesto

• Olive oil is used and is flavored with garlic, herbs, and nut.
• It can be served hot or cold, cooked, or uncooked. 
• Pesto is a popular uncooked, cold sauce.

Kinds of Garlic-Oil (Pesto)

• Basil Pesto
• Walnut Pesto
• Parsley Pesto
• Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto
• Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
• Cilantro Pesto

Pesto
(Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Basil Pesto, and Roasted Bell Pepper Pesto)

The Main Deference Between Sauteing and Stir-Frying

6. Uncooked Sauces/ Dressing

• Usually for pasta salad
• There is an endless variety of uncooked sauces that can be used and they are generally dressings and garnishes such as fresh or blanched vegetables. 
• Vinaigrette base dressing and mayonnaise base or dairy product dressing 
• Capers, anchovies, and olives are common due to their strong flavor.
• Cubed cheeses can also be used.

Kinds of Dressing

• Italian Vinaigrette
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Mayonnaise
• Yogurt Dressing

Dressing
(Mayonnaise, Vinaigrette, and  Italian Vinaigrette)

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