Pasta is a dish that is loved by many and one of the main reasons is that it is basically a one-pot meal and can be made in different ways by just using different sauce recipes.
Well, this is something for all you pasta lovers out there! In this article, I’m going to be talking about the different types of sauces that go best with different varieties of pasta, which types of pasta sauces go best with what ingredients and recipes you can make using different pasta sauces. So, here it goes!
10 Popular Types Pasta Sauces
1. Arrabbiata Sauce
Arrabbiata sauce is a tomato-based sauce, It uses red chili peppers so it is spicy, as compared to a marinara sauce or Pomodoro sauce, which is also tomato-based.
Best Pasta for Arrabiata Sauce: The best types of pasta to go with arrabiata sauce are penne, rigatoni, egg noodles, spaghetti etc.
What Goes With Arrabiata Sauce? mashed potatoes, Shrimp, pork, chicken, garlic bread, zucchini.
What Wine Goes With Arrabiata Sauce? Red Wine or Rose wine
Some recipes you can make with arrabiata sauce are penne all’arrabbiata, chicken arrabbiata, meatball arrabbiata with spaghetti and more.
2. Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese is a meat-based pasta sauce and not a tomato-based sauce. It uses ground meats, such as chicken, veal, and horsemeat.
Best Pasta for Bolognese Sauce: Rigatoni, Tagliatelle, Spaghetti, Fettuccine.
What Goes With Bolognese Sauce? Sausages, Beef, potatoes, peppers, asparagus, zucchini.
What Wine Goes With Bolognese Sauce? Red Wine
Some of the best bolognese sauce recipes include spaghetti bolognese, baked Bolognese, lasagna with bolognese etc.
3. Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is a most common tomato-based sauce that has relatively few ingredients.
Best Pasta for Marinara Sauce spaghetti, penne pasta, lasagna and linguini.
What Goes With Marinara Sauce? Beef, sausage, chicken, peppers, onion, broccoli, garlic bread
What Wine Goes With Marinara Sauce? Medium- To Full-Bodied Red Wine
The best recipes you can make with marinara sauce are spaghetti and meatballs, dipping sauces, chicken parmesan and lasagna.
4. Pesto Sauce
Pesto sauce is a basil-based green pasta sauce and often used on pasta, sandwiches, and salads.
Best Pasta for Pesto Sauce: It goes best with spaghetti, bow tie, farfalle, rotini and fusili types of pasta.
What Goes With Pesto Sauce? Chicken, salmon, green beans, red peppers, broccoli, carrots, beans, mozzarella.
What Wine Goes With Pesto Sauce? Dry White Wine
Recipes that go best with pesto sauce is pesto pasta with chicken or shrimp, in the form of canapés, garlic bread or in salad dressings.
5. Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo sauce is a white-based sauce, that is rich and creamy.
Best Pasta for Alfredo Sauce: It goes best with fettuccine, linguine, and Pappardelle shells pasta types.
What Goes With Alfredo Sauce? Chicken, shrimp, bacon, peas, broccoli, Caesar side salad, garlic bread.
What Wine Goes With Alfredo Sauce? Fruit Dry White Wine
You can make fettuccine alfredo pasta, alfredo canapés, baked pasta etc.
6. Vodka Sauce
Vodka pasta sauce is creamy and tangy that has a reddish color because the suacce uses a splash of vodka to to caramelize the tomatoes.
Best Pasta for Vodka Sauce: It goes best with penne, bow tie, rigatoni, orecchiette and rotini types of pasta.
What Goes With Vodka Sauce? You can add shrimp, chicken, broccoli, Brussels sprouts into the pasta/sauce or also have it with garlic bread.
Some of the best recipes you can make are penne alla vodka, spaghetti with vodka sauce and Italian sausages, pizzas with vodka sauce and more.
7. Carbonara Sauce
Carbonara is another creamy white pasta sauce that is most often combined with bacon and is made with an infusion of egg.
Best Pasta for Carbonara Sauce: The best pasta types for this sauce are spaghetti, angle hair, rigatoni and linguine pasta.
What Goes With Carbonara Sauce? Bacon, scallops, peas, zucchini, spinach, caesar side salad, bruschetta
What Wine Goes With Carbonara Sauce? Light-Bodied Red Wine
You can make spaghetti carbonara, meatballs with carbonara pasta, pizza, casseroles and more.
8. Cacio e Pepe Sauce
Cacio e pepe sauce is a very basic pasta “sauce” as it is butter-based with just some pepper and cheese added to it.
Best Pasta for Cacio e Pepe Sauce: It is super easy to make and goes best with spaghetti, gnocchi and tortellini shells pasta types.
What Goes With Cacio e Pepe Sauce? You can add corn, peas, chicken, salmon, mushrooms, asparagus into this pasta and even have it with an arugula side salad.
You can also make risotto with the same sauce recipe.
9. Bechamel Sauce
It is one of the five mother sauces. It is a white sauce pasta that is made with milk and roux that is creamy and velvety.
Best Pasta for Bechamel Sauce: Macaroni, Penne, Spaghetti, Cavatappi
What Goes With Bechamel Sauce? Shrimp, scallops, bacon, ground beef, carrots, peppers, broccoli
What Wine Goes With Bechamel Sauce? Dry White Wine
Although Alfredo and bechamel sauce look similar, the difference is the ingredients used. While bechamel sauce is made with milk and flour, alfredo sauce is mainly made with heavy cream and cheese.
10. Pomodoro Sauce
Pomodoro Sauce is a light tomato-based that makes a perfect spaghetti dinner.
Best Pasta for Pomodoro Sauce: Spaghetti, Rigatoni, Angel hair, Penne, Gnocchi
What Goes With Pomodoro Sauce? Chicken, shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, pepper, zucchini, squash
What Wine Goes With Pomodoro Sauce? Fruit Dry White Wine.
Although pomodoro and marinara sauce look similar, the difference is the texture and consistency. Pomodoro sauce is thicker and smoother than marinara sauce.