Red Basil Sauce & Garlic Alfredo Sauce, in my humble opinion go hand in hand. Sometimes I want red sauce; sometimes I want white sauce. As both are easy sauces to make I figured why not keep them together. They’re like Italian cousins, they love to hang out together, but they’re uniquely different.
Basil Red Sauce is my first love. I cannot remember a time I didn’t love tomato sauce. The only incident in which my affinity towards tomatoes was nearly dashed, was a wretched tomato soup I was served. Someone in the fam warmed up milk & butter and dumped in a can of whole stewed tomatoes; they called it soup. I died a little that night and refused to eat the red blobs floating in pools of melted butter skimming the surface of the milk. After that traumatic experience, I started cooking for myself.
I also learned that using Snap-E Tom tomato cocktail was not a good substitute for sauce. I was only 11 years old, so I have earned my kitchen “street” cred.
Let’s get saucy now.
Basil red sauce is fabulous with fresh homegrown tomatoes, but I first learned to make it with canned sauce. You do what works for you! If you’re buying canned sauce, try and stay away from those with added sugar or other additives. You want the purest tomato sauce you can get your hands on for the best flavor.
Simply add tomato paste and seasonings and simmer for about 5 minutes. Done. I usually make the sauce a day or two ahead of time so the flavors have time to really saturate throughout. The sauce is already thick from the tomato paste, so simmering a long time isn’t going to happen.
Garlic Alfredo (White) Sauce is super yummy! Straight up cream is by far most desirable for true alfredo sauce. Once I only had half & half in the fridge, and, well, it turned out pretty dang good. For that reason alone, it’s why I have always said to go with what you have on hand. Some of the best creations have been birthed by happy accidents; and sometimes experiments.
For the alfredo sauce, melt butter in a saucepan with minced garlic. Add the cornstarch, simmer a bit and then pour in the cream and Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir over medium heat as the sauce thickens & the Parmesan melts. Simple, quick, easy, done. As stated for the red sauce, I try to make this a day or two before it’s needed. The flavor is always better the next day.
I mainly use the sauces for Neapolitan Style Pizza. However, it makes plenty for extras even after the pizza is made. Dip-o-licious! Man alive, How I do love extra sauce!
Basil Red Sauce & Garlic Alfredo White Sauce
Ingredients
Basil Red Sauce
- One 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1-1/2 cups cups tomato sauce or tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
- 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Garlic Alfredo White Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-1/2 teaspoons teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon teaspoon pepper
- 1-1/3 cups cream (I have used half & half in a pinch for a substitute)
Instructions
Basil Red Sauce
- Heat all ingredients in small saucepan on medium-high until it just starts to simmer. Let the sauce sit at room temperature as it cool.
- The sauce is already very thick, so no need to simmer to thicken, however, for better flavor I make it a day or two in advance.
- This is enough for two large pizzas plus some extra for dipping! Makes 2 cups sauce. Store extra in refrigerator.
Garlic Alfredo White Sauce
- Over medium heat, melt butter in a saucepan, add the cornstarch and garlic to make roux, making sure to whisk out any lumps.
- Whisk in cream, salt & pepper.
- Heat while stirring until slightly thickened about 5 to minutes. Makes about 1-1/2 cups sauce.
