12 basil cream sauce recipes

Warm zucchini salad in a reduced basil cream sauce with fresh tomatoes, shallots, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce. A rich summer side dish ready in 30 minutes.

Rigatoni alla vodka with flambed vodka, heavy cream, tomato sauce, prosciutto, and Asiago cheese. A rich, spicy pink sauce tossed with fresh basil and parsley.

Pesto and pasta with rotelle tossed in basil pesto then topped with a creamy tomato-pesto sauce. A quick four-ingredient dinner where pesto hits twice for double the basil flavor.

Pheasant braised in spiced sour cream with Worcestershire, bay leaves, basil, and rosemary for several hours until fork-tender. A rich, creamy way to cook wild game bird.

Layered avocado terrine with Dijon mustard and whipped cream, sliced and served with poached shrimp and a fresh basil tomato cream sauce. A showstopping chilled appetizer for special occasions.

In my opinion, this is the most decadent, rich and scrumptious pasta dish and one of my all-time favorites (I originally got this recipe from a Bon Appetit magazine many, many years ago). Very easy to prepare and always a hit.

Restaurant-style penne in a rich coconut-curry cream sauce with crab and broiled scallops, finished with spiced tomato chutney and fresh basil. A showstopper fusion dish.

Mushroom beef patties smothered in a basil cream sauce, topped with melted cheese and onions. Salisbury steak taken up a notch with a hot-pepper kick and fresh mushrooms.

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, prosciutto, Parmesan, and fresh basil, baked in a garlic-anchovy cream sauce. An Italian dinner party dish in 45 minutes.

Fettuccine tossed with a no-cook tomato, basil, and yogurt sauce. A light summer pasta that skips the cream and comes together while the noodles boil.

Eggplant macaroni bake layers tender eggplant, fresh tomato, and basil with parmesan-tossed macaroni, topped with cheddar and baked bubbly. A light, vegetarian pasta casserole that skips the heavy cream sauce.

Roasted red pepper sauce blends sweet roasted peppers with fresh basil, parsley, and garlic into a smooth, no-cook pasta sauce. Bright, light, and ready in about five minutes, with no cream or stovetop required.