Leek Blush Sauce Pasta

*This blog post is sponsored by Barilla, all recipes and opinions are my own*

This pasta dish is so creamy and delicious! I used high-quality Barilla® Protein+ Penne and pureed leeks mixed with Barilla® Marinara sauce to make a simple blush sauce! Growing up in New Jersey, I have eaten my fair share of pasta and I ALWAYS order my pasta with blush sauce! Usually, blush sauce is a mixture of heavy cream and marinara sauce. My leek blush sauce is healthier and way more flavorful! 

Quick note: when prepping the leeks, be sure to wash them VERY well. Dirt tends to get trapped between the leaves and you don’t want a gritty sauce! I like to wash it twice, one after I slice the leeks in half and then again after I’ve sliced them. 

I cook my leeks down in a little bit of olive oil until they are nice and soft and then blend it down with Barilla Marinara sauce and a touch of pasta water. Barilla Marinara Sauce is made with high-quality ingredients and has no added sugar or preservatives. And since you’re not making pasta sauce from scratch, it gets you at the dinner table with your family in no time!

I paired my blush sauce with Barilla Protein+ Penne pasta. Barilla’s passion for quality is why every box of the pasta cooks perfectly al dente! The penne doesn’t collapse once cooked and the structure stays nice and open so that it can soak up all the yummy sauce! Plus, the pasta has 100% plant protein included from lentils, chickpeas, and peas.

I sprinkled my pasta with a little bit of vegan parmesan and red chili flakes. The leeks add a nice creaminess and punch of flavor to the sauce that I promise you won’t miss the cream! 

Get the ingredients you need here!

Leek Blush Sauce Pasta

---

• Author: Milk and Cardamom
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 7 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

A simple blush sauce made with leeks instead of cream!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 box of Barilla Protein + Penne pasta
• 1 jar of Barilla Marinara sauce
• 3 leeks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• parmesan cheese (vegan or regular, optional)
• Red chili flakes, to taste (optional)
• Fresh basil (optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Cut the green tops off the leeks and slice and cut in half lengthwise. Thoroughly wash the leeks under running water. Thinly slice the leeks and wash them again. Drain well.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced leeks and season with salt. Sauté for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. While the leeks are cooking, add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta water before draining.
5. Once the leeks are cooked, add them to a blender along with Barilla Marinara sauce. Add ½ cup of pasta water to thin the sauce out a bit and blend until smooth. Add more water if necessary.
6. Add the blended pasta sauce to a skillet over medium heat along with the cooked, drained pasta and stir until well combined. Add pasta water if necessary to thin the sauce out. Mix for 2 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, red chili flakes, and fresh basil.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Italian, American

Recipe Card powered by