Conchiglie Rosa with Vegan Rose Pink Pasta Sauce

Comforting and rich, this conchiglie rosa with vegan rose pink pasta sauce is the quick and easy dinner you need at the end of a rough day. The creamy tomato basil sauce is savory and cheesy, despite being vegan and dairy-free.

creamy tomato shell pasta in pan with fresh basil

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Rosa sauce is a creamy tomato pasta sauce, traditionally made mixing a béchamel sauce with marinara sauce and a helping of parmesan cheese. It is like vodka sauce, but without the vodka.

This recipe is a vegan, dairy-free version, using marinara sauce along with vegan sour cream and nutritional yeast. We're using conchiglie pasta to scoop up all that delicious sauce, too. This recipe goes well topped off with my 5-minute vegan parm substitute recipe.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Ingredients laid out for conchiglie rosa: conchiglie pasta (medium shells), tomato basil pasta sauce, cashew sour cream, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast and unsweetened almond milk.

Conchiglie pasta - Otherwise known as medium shells, conchiglie pasta scoops up sauce like a seashell collects seawater.
Vegan sour cream - a cashew-based sour cream is recommended, for it's richness, creaminess and mild flavor. Make a batch of homemade cashew sour cream for the week and I guarantee you'll find a million uses for it in your meals. But, if that's not gonna happen, pick up a vegan sour cream at the store and use that.
Nutritional yeast - adds a cheesy, umami flavor to the pasta, akin to parmesan, but dairy-free.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients:

Conchiglie pasta - use medium shells pasta (another name for conchiglie) or another medium sized pasta, like casarecce, gemelli, penne, rotini, gigli, campanelle
Tomato basil pasta sauce - use marinara instead or your favorite jarred pasta sauce. You can also use homemade marinara
Vegan sour cream - cashew sour cream is best for this, but you can also use tofu sour cream or store-bought vegan sour cream. I've even used ¼ tub of Trader Joe's mild and rich vegan cream cheese in a pinch.
Nutritional yeast - omit if you don't have it. It adds a cheesy, umami flavor.
Unsweetened almond milk - substitute with another unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk like soy milk or cashew milk.
WFPBNO (whole food plant based no oil) - Use whole wheat pasta, oil-free pasta sauce and oil-free vegan sour cream. My house recipes for marinara and cashew cream are both oil-free and delicious in this recipe!

Want to switch things up? Try this variation idea:

Spicy - add red chili flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish
Mix in vegetables - add steamed green peas or steamed broccoli with the pasta

🔪 Instructions

Step-by-step instructions for how to make this conchiglie rosa with vegan pink sauce.

Step 1: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Then, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.

Step 2: When pasta is halfway done cooking, start on the sauce. In a wide skillet that is large enough to hold all the pasta later, add tomato basil pasta sauce and simmer over medium-low heat.

Step 3 - Add cashew cream vegan sour cream

Step 3: Add nutritional yeast and vegan sour cream to skillet. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.

Step 4 - Stirring pink pasta sauce together

Step 4: Stir together and simmer on low heat.

Step 5: When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water. Then, drain the pasta and add to the skillet with the sauce.

Step 6 - Stirring pasta and sauce together

Step 6: Stir together the pasta and sauce. Add ¼ cup or more reserved pasta water, if needed. You want the pasta to be slightly more saucy than how you normally eat it. By the time you serve it, some of the sauce will have soaked in.

Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve hot with fresh basil leaves on top!

Expert tips

When simmering the sauce, use a pan that is big enough to fit all the sauce AND all the pasta once it's drained.
Use homemade tomato basil pasta sauce, if you can. But, your favorite jarred pasta sauce will also work just fine.
Don't overcook the pasta. Once it has boiled for the recommended time on the package, taste it. If it's done but still has a little bit of "bite" to it, then it's al dente and ready to be drained.
Be sure to salt the pasta water well. This gives the pasta much better flavor and most of the added sodium goes down the drain when you drain the water away.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The pasta will dry out being stored, so try adding a splash of unsweetened milk to it before re-heating.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Serving suggestions

This creamy tomato pasta would pair nicely with steamed broccoli, lemon pepper asparagus, steamed green peas or a salad.

❓ FAQ

Is pasta rosa vegan or plant based?

No, not normally, since it has cream, dairy milk and parmesan in it. But, it can be made vegan, as in this recipe.

What is pink pasta sauce?

Pink pasta sauce, called rosa or rose sauce, is a creamy tomato sauce that, when mixed together, makes a beautiful pink color. Rosa is Italian for the color pink. Traditionally, it is made by mixing together marinara sauce and béchamel (or Alfredo) sauce, along with parmesan cheese.

Is pink sauce the same as vodka sauce?

It's very similar, but without the vodka.

Love this recipe?

Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!

📖 Recipe

Maria says

August 22, 2025 at 10:54 pm

So good and satisfying! A nice change from regular marinara sauce. The cashew sour cream is delicious. Next time I will add white beans. Easy, quick meal. Thank you!!