I love any pasta dish in a pink sauce, which is essentially a tomato sauce mixed with cream to create a beautiful orangey-pink colored sauce. When my cousin Ricardo came to visit us from Italy years ago, he taught me how to make a delicious pasta that we now affectionately call “Ricardo Sauce.” That pasta has become a family favorite of ours, and this is a lightened-up, one pot version of that dish. Flavored pancetta, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, the base of the sauce is simple but flavorful. In place of heavy cream, I cook the pasta in a mixture of tomatoes, almond milk, and chicken broth, which adds creaminess as the pasta cooks. You’ll want this one pot rigatoni in pink sauce on your dinner table, trust me!
Everyone loves a one-pot meal
There are so many perks to a one pot meal:
- done in under half an hour
- one pot to clean up
- no need to coordinate the timing of different elements
- feeds a crowd
- easy to make ahead of time
That being said, I have been on such a one-pot pasta kick lately. The first one I made was the One Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta, followed by the One Pot Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Sausage. You see, once I nailed down the ratio for liquid to pasta, the rest was easy, and the possibilities became endless. If you couldn’t tell already, I love creating different variations of my popular recipes. Once I see that a recipe has taken off and gained popularity, is easy to make, and well-loved by my readers, then I love creating different variations of that. One pot pastas are the ultimate one pot meal. They are crowd pleasers, they are so simple to throw together, and they eliminate the need for multiple pots and pans (usually you would need one pot to boil the pasta, one to build the sauce, a strainer, etc.) As easy as pasta is to make, it does use a lot of equipment. 
How does a one pot pasta dish work?
The general ratio of a one-pot pasta dish is one part pasta, to two parts cooking liquid. This is the key ratio for ensuring that the pasta cooks adequately in the liquid, while absorbing the flavor and releasing its starches. For this dish, I kept the same ratio (one pound of pasta to 2 cups almond milk and 2 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth) but then also added a can of plum tomatoes and juice. The rationale behind this extra liquid is that the tomatoes will ultimately become the sauce for the pasta.
What will I need to make this one pot rigatoni in pink sauce?
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to make this recipe:
- pancetta
- Pancetta is seasoned, salt-cured pork belly (I think of it as Italian bacon). It is so delicious!
- I buy this one which is pre-cut into tiny cubes, perfect for this recipe. I use the entire 4 oz container.
- olive oil spray
- onion
- garlic
- San Marzano peeled tomatoes
- tomato paste
- reduced sodium chicken broth
- unsweetened almond milk
- kosher salt
- red pepper flakes
- basil
- reduced fat cream cheese
How to make one pot rigatoni in pink sauce
To make this recipe, start out by chopping the onion and adding it to a large Dutch oven or pot with the cubed pancetta and a touch of olive oil spray (you won’t need much, since the pancetta will render it’s own fat and help the cooking process along). Cook this for ten minutes, or until the pancetta has rendered its fat and the onions are tender. Then, chop the garlic and add that in. Cook that for just a minute.
Next, add the liquids (the broth, the milk, and the canned tomatoes). Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste, the salt, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Then, add the raw pasta in and stir to ensure everything is combined.
Bring this mixture to a boil, and then cover with the lid and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes covered, or until the pasta is tender. Then, chop the basil and stir that in with the cream cheese.
One Pot Rigatoni in Pink Sauce
Equipment
- dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- 4 oz pancetta, cubed
- 1 onion, medium, chopped
- olive oil spray
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz peeled tomatoes, canned
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lb rigatoni, raw, uncooked
- 1/4 cup basil, fresh, chopped
- 3 oz reduced fat cream cheese
Instructions
- Add the chopped onion and diced pancetta to a large Dutch oven or pot with olive oil spray.
- Cook for 10 minutes over medium to medium-high heat until the fat from the pancetta is rendered off, and the onion is tender.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the canned tomatoes, chicken broth, milk, tomato paste, salt, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Add the pasta, toss to coat.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer.
- Simmer covered for 13-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the cream cheese and chopped basil.
Notes
- 8 WW points (blue and green plans)
- 2 WW points (purple plan, if you use whole wheat pasta)
Nutrition
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Hi steph! Looking forward to making those would you recommend freezing this since it makes a large amount?
This looks great. Can’t wait to try it.
Would love to put meat with this. What would you suggest? In it? On the side? Italian sausage? Chicken?
I just made Steph’s one pot rigatoni and it was delicious! i didn’t have cream cheese so I left that out but still turned out great. Whole family enjoyed it.
We have been making this one on repeat! Absolutely delicious! We do it without the pancetta to give us an easy, meatless pasta dish, and it’s absolutely delicious! So quick and easy for a weeknight meal!
Hi
this sounds delicious! My son has treenut allergies so almond milk won’t work for us. do you recommend any other alternatives to keep it healthier than cream?
Same here…was there a response to this?
I’m going to try using fat free half & half and see how that works!
Love this! It was so easy and I loved adding in the cream cheese to make it a little creamier. I did add some “Pizza & Pasta Magic” seasoning and shaved Parmesan on top for a little extra flavor.
I do not like Almond Milk – would I be able to use 1% milk instead?
Joellen
I’m literally eating this as I write this- LOL! Steph you’ve done it again!! Truthfully felt like I was indulging in take out from my favorite Italian restaurant! My husband actually drank the sauce from his bowl and he is picky to boot!!! You make this journey such an enjoyable one with amazing, flavorful, delcicious meals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I’m going to make this recipe tomorrow, 11/7, but need clarification…am I putting the dry pasta right into the sauce or am I suppose to cook it separately first? I know it’s titled one pot, but I’ve never cooked dry pasta directly in sauce before, so wasn’t sure if I understood directions correctly.
You are meant to cook the dry pasta directly in the sauce.
Hands down the best pasta dish I’ve made! Thank you, Steph! My whole family agreed that this bypasses any Italian restaurant meal we’ve had! Delicious.
Amazing so delicious and easy!!
Fantastic! One of the best meals I have ever made. So flavorful and simple.
Absolutely delicious!! Made this for a family dinner and my mom said it was “restaurant quality!” We’ll be making this again for sure!!
So easy to make and so delicious! The serving size was perfectly filling! Bonus points because my husband went back for more three times!! Win, win!
Made this tonight after seeing it on Steph’s Instagram. I omitted the pancetta (family preference NOT mine!). It was absolutely delicious….everyone loved it! I served it with chicken sausage on the side. Yummy
Super delish and easy. I’m not a fan of pancetta (plus my grocery store didn’t have any), so I substituted prosciutto. Also the only peeled tomatoes I could find were whole tomatoes and I didn’t like having to crush them up. So the next time I would probably buy a can of crushed or diced tomatoes. But the flavor and the easiness of the recipe were amazing.
Please don’t stop creating these one pot pasta recipes! My family and I can’t get enough! So delicious and easy to make.
This was so so so good!!! And super easy to make!! I added shrimp for the last few minutes and it was perfect!!!!
Amazing!!
So much flavor. Absolutely delicious and so easy!!!
Fabulous and came together so easily! Will definitely be making this a part of our pasta rotation for dinner. Had 1.5 cups for dinner and it was plenty filling! I knew it would be good based on how good the carbonara recipe was.
This was so delicious!!! We didn’t have pancetta so I made it without and it was still perfect. It will be on our menu quite often!!
Thank you for all your great recipes.
Kerri
This was to die for. Quite possibly the best lightened up pasta recipe I have ever had/made. Seriously, wow.
I made this recipe last night for dinner. Everyone loved it, even my picky 11 year old who asked me if he could have it again tonight! I the one pot pastas are amazing! I’m trying all of them.
I made this recipe this week for my family and they loved it. I added meatballs and a side salad and it was fantastic! Thank you, Steph for making so many amazing recipes!
One word….AMAZING! I didn’t have almond milk so I used fat free Fairlife and it was great.
Amazing! Will be making this weekly
Obsessed with the recipe! Definitely one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made and it’s absolutely delicious. Add this to your weekly meal plan ASAP!!!
SO good!! I was skeptical with how much liquid went in but oh my gosh it turned out absolutely delicious!! My husband said make it again tomorrow LOL
I made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious! So easy and quick. Tasted so good. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers.
Made this dish last night. It was absolutely amazing. I did use the entire block of cream cheese just because I wouldn’t use it again. I put half in while it was simmering with the noodles and the rest after. The fresh basil completed it. It will definitely be on the rotation. My entire family loved it.
I made this without the meat in it and it was absolutly amazing!!! It was so creamy I will definitely be making it again!
So delicious!! Made this tonight…wouldn’t change a thing. It’s going in the rotation for sure!
Picky Kids APPROVED!! Love this healthy alternative to jar sauce. Omitted the pancetta (because I didn’t have any). I also added cooked diced chicken at the end. Everyone enjoyed it and I loved the simplicity of it. One downside… my husband does most of the cooking, but now it looks like I can actually cook! Lol
Another delicious meal by Steph! The chili flakes give it a perfect little kick at the end.
Loved this, it will be hard to stick to one serving lol
Easy and super tasty, my husband and 8 year old both loved it.
SO good! Penne vodka is one of my favorite pasta dishes. This HITS the spot for that craving while also being a healthier version that fits within my daily points. Made it twice now and my husband loves it just as much. I serve it with just air fried chicken. Will def be a regular in the dinner rotation!
Made this for dinner tonight….loved it and will be putting it into rotation.
First time I’ve made this tonight. It’s good but I must admit not one of my favorites. I’ve loved every recipe I’ve made. This one is different than I thought it would be. Not sure if I did something wrong or not. It’s dinner the next several nights. I don’t let anything go to waste.
This was absolutely amazing!! Everybody went back for more and kids (one as picky as your Alena) requested it in their lunch the next day!!! 5 stars from us!!
This pasta was delicious! I used bacon because that’s all I had on hand and 2% milk. The whole family loved it!
One of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever made. Like something you’d get at a good Italian restaurant! My only complaint is that it was really hard not to go back for seconds 😁
Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it!
So easy and delicious! This will go into my regular rotation of meals for sure.
This recipe could not have been easier snd more flavorful. I swapped out the panchetta for chicken sausage that I took out of the casing (to help bulk up the protein) and it was so, so good. There were hardly any leftovers! Making it again this weekend because it was so good the first time!
So good!! I added several handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the end to add some veg. Great recipe Steph!
Amazing!!! I added some shrimp to this for a little extra protein. Thanks for all of your amazing recipes:)
So easy to make! You can not beat a one pot dinner!!! Great flavors!!!
I just made this tonight and it was sooooo amazing and easy. I love all you’re recipes but this deserves immediate comment
Outstanding
10/10. This pasta is so simple to make and so delicious. My kids love it!
Has anyone tried to freeze this? I should have halved the recipe for just the two of us. This is a very good dish, but my husband doesn’t eat leftovers, and I hate for food to go to waste.
Stephanie does it again! This recipe was so delicious, and my family loved it! It’s going into our rotation. I am loving these one pot meals! Thank you!
Amazing! I used prosciutto instead of pancetta due to what was available at my store. My family loves it!
If you are looking for a crowd pleaser, look no further! My family is trying to eat a bit healthier, and everyone was wowed by this recipe. (The fresh basil is a must!) No one could believe there was almond milk in it, and my dad said it was better than any restaurant pasta he’s had. One of Steph’s home run recipes!
We have been making the one pot pink pasta almost once a week for a few months now! My picky toddler will eat it and it is so simple to throw together. Tastes delicious!
Love your recipes! Have made many so far. This one sound delicious but hubby can’t have almond milk. Can you send the recipe using heavy cream as you said it was originally done by Ricardo. Thanks!!
I used whole milk instead of the almond milk and it turned out great!
This recipe is always a hit in our house, from the 1.5 year old on up! My husband never even complains when I sub for gluten free pasta which usually is a big complaint from him!
Delicious. Easy. Tons of flavor. Perfect for a busy night.
Do the tomatoes cook down? Could I use crushed tomatoes instead? My family has issues with “chunky” tomatoes.
No need to reply. Make it with diced tomatoes and added just a little extra broth. He didn’t even notice the chunks of tomatoes because he was too busy scarfing it down. Amazing flavor and so easy. Portioned it out with steamed broccoli for lunches. Yum!
This was ok. If I make again will be with adjustments. My tomatoes remained whole so at end removed, chopped added back. Next time I’ll use diced tomatoes. Will also add little flour to sauce before pasta prefer it a little thicker.
Didn’t use pancetta ( pork) so everyone in family could eat.
This was delicious!!! And so fast and easy. A wonderful reminder that cooking can be fast yet tasty. Thanks for another amazing recipe!!!
Excellent recipe! It tastes very decadent and is super easy to make. My husband doesn’t like penne so I used linguine and it came out great! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!!
We lived in Europe for many years and ate many pasta meals in Italy. This was AWESOME! So easy, lightened up, and full of flavor. After dinner, my husband’s comment was “I’m sorry I had to leave so much behind in the post because I got too full.” So excited for leftovers this week!
It was delicious!!! Next time, I will make it right before we eat and I would with not use the red pepper flakes but only because I don’t handle spice very well. Overall, a great recipe 🙂
This will be a new staple recipe! Absolutely delicious and I added in vegetables in place of the pancetta to make it vegetarian friendly.
What did I do wrong?! Mine is like soup. The noodles didn’t soak up the liquid at all. 🙁
Tried this tonight and the family felt like we where eating a restaurant style dish ! Amazing !
Made This tonight, so good.. so easy!! Used bacon
Instead of pancetta.. delicious!
Love this recipe!!! It was showing up at 10 points in my app so I cut out the pancetta and used Carba nada pasta which brought it to 4 points. It was still absolutely amazing! Easy to make and everyone loved it!
Made this tonight after being diagnosed gluten and dairy free. Subbed Barilla gluten free penne pasta and dairy free cream cheese and it was AMAZING!!!! I will definitely be making this again!
Amazing meal, so much flavor! Will definitely be making this recipe often
This was soooooo easy to make and it was DELICIOUS!! My entire family ate it up and said to add to the rotation!! Thank you for sharing!!! We use your recipes weekly!! They always turn out well- this one was exceptional!!! And the easy clean up- thank you!!!
Hi! I followed the recipe but the sauce was very liquidy- almost soup like. Can you let me know what I can add to make it thicker? Thanks!
This was literally one of the BEST pasta dishes I’ve ever had! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers lol. Thank you for another delicious recipe!
I finally made this recipe and it’s delicious!! i added some fresh spinach in there bc i had it in the fridge and needed to use it. another great recipe… thank you!
Absolutely delicious!!!
So easy and so good!
This meal was delicious!!! So very easy and made all in one pot! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe
This is a very fresh tasting dish. Absolutely delicious. Taste like a dish from our local Italian restaurant
This was DELISH!! I have missed pink sauce since going dairy free and this does not disappoint. Kids loved it, one pot, can’t beat it!!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good and so easy to make! I love that it was all done in one pot. I will definitely be making this a lot!
So easy and absolutely delicious. Even my picky eaters loved it.
This is delicious!!! My husband loves it too and doesn’t know its better choices!! I added shredded chicken from a Rotisserie for more filling for him. But it isn’t needed of course.
The recipe is easy to follow and it’s so quick!! Will definitely be adding this to the weeknight mix of recipes!!
One of my favourite recipes to make. So simple, my go to when I do not know what to make. J’adore.