Pasta Sauce Key Terms

Familiarize yourself with the world of pasta sauce

Pasta sauce varieties go way beyond the traditional marinara sauce. Pasta sauces can be tomato based or cream based and range from thin liquids to pastes. Various ingredients are used to create flavorful, unique pasta dishes that aren't always widely known. A traditional alfredo sauce is a staple on any pasta menu as is a pesto dish. To spice things up a little, you might want to considering offering your customers an arrabiata sauce or romesco. Become familiar with many different pasta sauces to keep your guests satisfied and to set yourself apart from other establishments.

 

Alfredo

Alfredo is a white, cream-based pasta sauce that is often made with cream and parmesan cheese. The most popular alfredo dish is fettuccine alfredo.
Try: CDKitchen gives a new interpretation of the classic alfredo pasta sauce.

Pesto

Typically, pesto is a combination of ground basil, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. Pesto is more the consistency of a paste rather than liquid like most pasta sauces.
Try: Simply Recipes discusses basil pesto for pasta.

Arrabiata

Arrabiata sauce is a traditional tomato-based sauce, but with added crushed red pepper to create a spicy Italian sauce. The translation of arrabiata is "angry mood." Arrabiata is also sometimes used to flavor meats, poultry and even seafood.
Try: Indobase walks through the steps of making an arrabiata pasta sauce.

Béchamel

Béchamel is a cream pasta sauce that is made with milk and is thickened with a combination of butter and flour. Béchamel is a white sauce that is versatile due to its rich base. Many different spices can be used to flavor a béchamel sauce in order for it to complement the pasta dish. The consistency is also key to this type of pasta sauce.
Try: Authentic Italian Pasta Recipies gives step-by-step instruction on how to make a béchamel pasta sauce.

Romesco

Romesco sauce is known for its abundance of garlic and the spice, tarragon. Romesco is a thicker sauce and can be used for dips and spreads in addition to a pasta sauce.
Try: Fine Cooking explains some of the various uses for romesco pasta sauce.

Carbonara

Carbonara sauce is unique in that eggs and bacon are two of its main ingredients. There are also small pieces of vegetable incorporated in this cream-based sauce.
Try: Recipie Tips details the ingredients and uses of a traditional Italian carbonara pasta sauce.

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