Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns

This Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns is easy to make, and decadently rich and creamy! Pasta, garlic, onion, roasted cherry tomatoes, prawns, basil and a showstopping rosé wine cream sauce come together in this delicious pasta dish. Perfect for date nights, entertaining, or any night you want to treat yourself!

this recipe

Ok, wow. Wow. WOW! Friends, allow me to introduce you to the MOST spectacular and delicious summer pasta EVER! 🤩 ❤️

Picture this:

• Short-cut gemelli pasta.
• Caramelized roasted sweet cherry tomatoes.
• Naturally sweet and juicy prawns.
• A luxurious creamy sauce that’s made with a crisp dry rosé wine and milk (instead of heavy cream)
• ..and spiced up with smoky Calabrian chili pepper paste
• …made wonderfully savory with nutty freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
• Then everything is finished off and brightened up with a splash of lemon juice and fresh Italian basil leaves! 😍

Drooling yet? GREAT! We’re on the same page then! 🙌

This stunning Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns has quickly become a new favorite in my home, and I think you guys are going to love it too! 🤗

Why This Recipe Works

• It’s easy to make, and doable on a weeknight.
• Caramelized roasted sweet cherry tomatoes and juicy prawns taste magnificent in the slightly spicy rosé wine cream sauce.
• Bright flavors from a splash of lemon juice and fresh Italian basil balance out the richness in the creamy sauce.
• You can customize it with your favorite protein if prawns/shrimp is not your thing, and make it vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free too.
• It’s fantastic for date nights and Valentine’s day, impressive enough for entertaining, and perfect for any night in that you want to treat yourself!

Ingredients

• Cherry Tomatoes: Or you can use grape tomatoes.
• Prawns: I used peeled and deveined jumbo black tiger prawns and cut them into three pieces each so that they cook quicker in the cream sauce. But if using smaller shrimp or prawns, you can leave them whole.
• Dry Rosé Wine: Any type of crisp dry rosé wine (not sweet) will work for this dish. I used a Côtes de Provence because its light body and delicate flavor compliments seafood and shellfish dishes.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A good quality EVOO makes this pasta dish taste spectacular! But in a pinch, you can use regular olive oil. You’ll need to toss the cherry tomatoes with it before roasting them, and also need it for making the rosé wine cream sauce.
• Pasta: I used short-cut gemelli pasta and love how the sauce clings onto the twisted rope shape! It’s worth noting that I used Delverde brand gemelli pasta, which looks similar to casarecce shape pasta from other brands. Feel free to use casarecce, or any short-cut shape or noodle-type of pasta that you have on hand.
• Seasonings & Spices: Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning) for the roasted cherry tomatoes. In addition, you’ll need kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, ground cayenne, and crushed red pepper flakes to flavor the rosé cream sauce. Feel free to use as much or as less (or omit completely for a milder dish) of the ground cayenne and crushed red pepper flakes based on your heat level preference.
• Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste: This is smoky and spicy chili paste made with Italian hot chili peppers. It’s the same pepper that’s used in Carbone’s Spicy Vodka Pasta, and it adds wonderful spicy and smoky notes to the rosé cream sauce! It comes in glass jars, and is available at Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma, and Amazon.
• Double Concentrated Tomato Paste: To add a robust and sweet tomato flavor. It also helps to balance out the bitterness from the wine and heat from the spices and Calabrian chili pepper paste.
• Whole Milk: Use full-fat for best results. A low-fat milk will yield a too runny and thin sauce.
• Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) Cheese. To thicken and enrich the sauce with savory nutty flavors. 💛 I recommend buying a block from the store and grating it at home yourself. Freshly grated cheese melts more evenly than bagged pre-shredded cheese. The latter has anti-caking agents and preservatives that prevent it from clumping up at the store, and also melting easily and evenly when you cook with it.
• Lemon Juice: As always, I recommend using freshly squeezed for best flavor.
• Italian Basil Leaves: To had fresh herby flavors and balance out the richness of the sauce! We’ll be stirring some in right at the end, and using more for garnish.

Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns

1. Roast the cherry tomatoes. Toss the halved tomatoes in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and Herbs de Province. (You can use Italian seasoning instead too). Spread the tomatoes out on a foil lined baking tray and pop the tray in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Transfer the roasted tomatoes to a cooling rack and set aside until needed.

2. Cook the pasta. While the tomatoes are in the oven, cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water two minutes shy of al-dente. Drain and set aside.

3. Sauté onion and garlic. In extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter in a large deep sauté pan until fragrant.
4. Add flour and pastes. Whisk in the all-purpose flour, tomato paste, and Calabrian chili pepper paste. Cook for a few minutes to get rid of the flour-y taste.
5. Pour in the rosé wine. Mix to combine and simmer until the mixture thickens and the wine has reduced.
6. Add the milk, spices & seasonings, and cheese. Stir to combine well, and simmer for a minute to let the flavors meld. Then stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese until fully melted.

7. Cook the prawns. Add them to the sauce and cook for a few minutes until just cooked through.
8. Add the lemon juice, pasta, and cherry tomatoes. Add the lemon juice and pasta and toss until the sauce further thickens. Then add the roasted cherry tomatoes and toss to combine.
9. Stir through basil. Then switch off the heat.

10. Serve! Divide the pasta evenly onto plates, and garnish with more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and basil. Pour yourself a glass of the rosé wine maybe, then serve immediately while hot and enjoy!

Full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

Cook’s Tips

• Use full-fat whole milk. Low-fat milk will make the sauce too runny and thin, and it won’t be as creamy and rich tasting.
• Use already peeled and deveined black tiger prawns (or shrimp). You can save time by not having to peel them. Frozen prawns work just as well as fresh ones.
• Be patient for the sauce to thicken. The cream sauce may look too thin and runny at first, but it will thicken as it cooks, and further thicken and cling to the pasta perfectly once off the heat.
• Use a dry rosé wine. Avoid using a sweet rosé wine, as it will make the cream sauce too sweet.

FAQs

Variations

• Use another protein. Cooked and sliced spicy (or regular) Italian sausage (Fra’mani spicy Italian sausage is excellent in this dish!!), chicken, or other seafood/shellfish such as mussels, clams, squid rings, or crab or lobster meat would taste fantastic in the creamy rosé wine sauce. Be sure to cook the shellfish in a separate pan before adding to the rosé pasta sauce.
• Add veggies. Baby spinach or baby kale would be a great addition if you’re looking to boost the nutritional content.
• Use a dry white wine. Instead of using rosé wine, you can swap for a crisp dry wine such as a sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or unoaked chardonnay. I highly recommend a sauvignon blanc. As noted in my popular Cream Sauce Seafood Pasta recipe, the acidity and brightness in a sauvignon blanc brings out the BEST best flavors in cream sauces and seafood! 😍
• Make it vegetarian. Omit the prawns and use a full 1 pound/500 grams box of pasta instead.
• Make it vegan. Same as for making it vegetarian, but also use a vegan unsalted butter and a dairy-free milk (i.e. almond milk, cashew milk, etc.) instead of whole milk.
• To make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free pasta and gluten-free all-purpose flour.

More Delicious Pastas

• Cream Sauce Seafood Pasta
• Spicy Vodka Pasta with Prawns
• Smoky Harissa Mac and Cheese
• Buffalo Chicken Ravioli Lasagna
• Salmon Pasta with Anchovy-Garlic Sauce
• Butter Chicken Pasta Bake
• Or browse the entire Pasta recipes collection.

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Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns

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5 from 2 reviews

Pasta, garlic, onion, roasted cherry tomatoes, prawns, fresh basil and a showstopping rosé wine cream sauce come together in this delicious and elegant pasta dish. Perfect for date night, entertaining, Valentine’s Day, or any night in!

• Author: Lavina
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 40
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Sauté
• Cuisine: Italian-American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:

• 15 ounces / 425 grams Cherry Tomatoes (or Grape Tomatoes) – rinsed, pat-dried, halved
• 1 TBLS Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Olive Oil)
• ¼ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
• ¼ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• ¼ TSP Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning)

For the Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns:

• 12 ounces / 340 grams uncooked Gemelli or Casarecce Pasta (or any short-cut shape or noodle-type pasta)
• 1.5 TBLS Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Olive Oil)
• 2 TBLS Unsalted Butter
• ½ Yellow Onion – finely minced
• 6 Garlic Cloves – finely minced
• 3 TBLS All-Purpose Flour
• 3 TBLS Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste
• 2 TBLS Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Dry Rosé Wine (I used a Côtes de Provence)
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 2.5 TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
• 1 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• 1 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
• 1.5 TSP ground Cayenne (optional), to taste
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
• 12 ounces / 340 grams peeled and deveined Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns (size: 16/20) – rinsed and pat-dried, cut into three smaller pieces each (or use shrimp or smaller prawns and leave them whole)
• 1 TBLS freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
• ½ cup fresh Italian Basil Leaves – finely sliced
• To Serve: More freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and sliced fresh Italian Basil

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Instructions

For the Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:

1. Roast the cherry tomatoes: Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking tray with a sheet of aluminum foil. Rinse and pat-dry the cherry tomatoes, then cut them in half and add to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top and season with the kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and Herbs de Provence. Toss to coat, then spread the tomatoes out on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes until nicely roasted and blistered. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and set aside until ready to use.

For the Creamy Rosé Pasta with Prawns:

1. Prepare the ingredients: Finely mince the onion and garlic, and finely slice the basil leaves. Combine the kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper chili flakes, and ground cayenne in a small bowl. Cover to prevent the seasonings and spices from blowing everywhere. Measure out the rosé wine and milk in individual measuring cups. Rinse and pat-dry the jumbo prawns, then cut them into three smaller pieces each. (Note: If using smaller prawns or shrimp, you can leave them whole). Grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta 2 minutes shy of al-dente according to package instructions in a large pot (or the same large deep sauté pan you’ll use to make the pasta dish) of boiling salted water. Drain and set aside. (I like to run water cold water over the pasts to prevent it from sticking and cooking further.)
3. Sauté aromatics: Heat 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for a minute or until the onion has softened and the garlic is fragrant.
4. Make the sauce: Whisk in the all-purpose flour, tomato paste, and Calabrian chili pepper paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then slowly pour in the rosé wine and continue whisking. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture thickens and the wine has reduced by half. Lower the heat to medium and gradually pour in the milk while continuing to whisk.
5. Add the seasonings and cheese: Stir in the kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and ground cayenne. Simmer for a minute to let the flavors meld, then stir in the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese until fully melted. The sauce will start to thicken.
6. Cook the prawns: Add the prawns and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the prawns have just cooked through.
7. Add the lemon juice, pasta, and cherry tomatoes: Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and pasta and toss for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce further thickens and everything is coated will in the sauce. (Note: The sauce might look too liquidy at first, but cream sauces tend to settle once off the heat so don’t worry.) Then add the roasted cherry tomatoes and toss for 1-2 minutes to combine. Switch off the heat and stir through the basil.
8. To Serve: Divide the pasta evenly onto plates, and garnish with more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and basil if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Equipment

Barilla Gemelli Pasta

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Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste

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large deep sauté pan

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Notes

1. Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste. This smoky and spicy paste is made with Italian Calabrian chili peppers, and can be found at Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma, or purchased online from Amazon.
2. Rosé Wine. Use a crisp dry rosé wine, not a sweet one. The latter will overpower the dish with a sweet flavor. I recommend using a Côtes de Provence because its light body and delicate flavor compliments seafood and cream sauces dishes.
3. To make this milder. Use less crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne, or omit completely.
4. Storing. Store any leftovers in a sealed airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. Reheat on high in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds to two minutes, stirring once in between, until hot throughout. I recommend holding off on garnishing leftovers with extra basil and grated cheese until after reheating.
5. See ‘Variations’ section above if you’d like to customize this pasta dish with a different protein, make it vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, and for more ideas.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 plate
• Calories: 810
• Sugar: 15.6g
• Sodium: 1323.9mg
• Fat: 30g
• Saturated Fat: 10.2g
• Unsaturated Fat: 15.4g
• Trans Fat: 0.1g
• Carbohydrates: 88.1g
• Fiber: 5.4g
• Protein: 38.5g
• Cholesterol: 175.1mg

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