What is your favorite sauce for pasta?

[Uniwolf]

I would go with Madhen and nodmicks, but you can also do just a regular cheese sauce, or a veriation of a cheese sauce.
Or just take a favorite sauce (tomato or other) and just play with ingredients that you like in it or would like to try in it.... i.e. add a spice that you don't normally. Try allspice, it goes well in most anything if you like it to begin with, just remember not to add a lot at one time, it can over power easily

[shoiji]

There are different types of pesto sauce. I have yet to make it with pine nuts. Usually use cashews instead.

[greekislandgirl]

Another vote for exploring the varieties of pesto. I make arugula pesto, spinach pesto, basil pesto, mixed herb pesto, etc. The only one I didn't really like was Romaine lettuce pesto.

The cheapest pasta ever: the Roman classic "cacio e pepe." It's basically just butter and/or oil with a lot of freshly ground pepper. It utilizes the cooking water from the pasta pot, and a little parmesan, but it's basically the "I have bare cabinets" pasta. This might be quite nice on veggies, I imagine on asparagus it would be great.

I also make a version of cacio e pepe where I break up sundried tomatoes (homegrown, home-dehydrated!) into little bits and put them in the oil. And of course garlic. Garlic!!!

[oheoh's momma]

made me think of a sauce I love hubby hates it it was like the oliv oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and chicken brother. it was good... forgot about that one uhm..

[Paws]

I vote for the alfredo sauce too. I also love a light lemon, butter, and garlic sauce...yumm!
For a richer, more full bodied sauce, add minced up garlic and onions, sliced mushrooms, a couple tsp butter, to a meat stock based sauce from a roux.
Don't forget about basic white sauces that can be turned into almost anything...whatever you add can make a completely different sauce. Good stuff...

[jas]

Thanks guys you are as usual wonderful with the ideas! Can't wait to try them all! GreekIslandgirl that sounded sooooo good, even though it is a bare cabnet pasta dish!

[lisaflex]

ladies, use walnuts in your pesto...not sunflower or cashews...just my two cents...use walnuts, fresh locatelli, spinach, fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh garlic...pulse in the food processor....add a really good olive oil....boil pasta...save some pasta water for thinning....wala...you have a fab pasta sauce...walntus rock a pesto!

[greekislandgirl]

I like walnuts too but they're so high in calories I don't buy them I usually use toasted pine nuts (very sparingly) in my pesto, but I agree that walnuts are delicious.

[gottadance]

lightly brown chicken in olive oil, reduce heat, add garlic, 1 cup or so white wine, salt - add veggies like artichokes or spinach. Cook shortly and put over pasta.

[ncarr]

Vodka Sauce is my favorite

[Majanni]

Hi!
How about carbonarra sauce? A white sauce with bacon or ham.
its easy to do, fry bacon or ham mix in some wheat flour , and ad milk and some white peppar,parsley and let it seethe in a low temperature so it don´t boil over, taste it first and if it needs you can ad some more salt. (it depends how salty the bacon,ham is) you can also mix in different cheese´s in it.

[lisaflex]

sautee 1/2 red onion in some OO, add frsh chpd garlic, add some white wine and lots and lots of crushd red pper, simmer. add some 1/2'ed grape tomatoes and some fresh basil...very fresh and good. can also add some capers if you like. serve over pasta and sprinkle w/ FRESH grated locatelli...

[josantoro]

I just made lunch before reading this - cooked spaghetti and frozen broccoli in turkey broth. Sauteed an onion and some garlic(I used the fat from the turkey broth), added some chicken meat, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper.
My fav. way to have spaghetti, fast and easy and versatile - throw in whatever vegs you want.

On "dimensional" pasta (rotini, ziti, etc.) I do like red sauce.