By Aditi Saraswat
August 25, 2026
Craving a restaurant-style pink sauce pasta but don't have cream at home? Try this version that uses a tomato as a base, milk, cheese and a splash of reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce that sticks perfectly to every bite.
200 g pasta 1 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 medium tomatoes, chopped ½ cup full-fat milk 2 tbsp grated cheese 1 tbsp tomato ketchup ½ tsp chilli flakes ½ tsp oregano Salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste ½ cup reserved pasta water Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Boil pasta in salted water until just al dente. While draining, reserve half a cup of pasta water to use it further.
In a pan, heat olive oil and add garlic and onion to it and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy and soft.
To the tomato base, add ketchup, chilli flakes, oregano, salt and pepper to the tomato mixture. Mix in milk slowly over a low flame and stir constantly.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss everything well, and add some grated cheese on top.
Cook everything again together for another minute, then garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve hot.