220 creamy pasta sauce recipes

A classic béchamel sauce enriched with Parmesan and a hint of nutmeg becomes this lightened Alfredo where low-fat milk and minimal butter create creamy pasta indulgence you can actually feel good about.

Chicken, country ham, and peas in a creamy fricassee sauce with milk and a pinch of cloves, served over pasta or rice. A Southern-style chicken fricassee with salty ham and sweet peas.

Pasta with Szechwan peanut dressing tosses linguine in a creamy, spicy peanut butter sauce sharpened with rice vinegar, garlic, and chili, plus broccoli and cherry tomatoes. A vegan peanut-noodle bowl, warm or chilled.

Tender wine-baked chicken tossed with penne, rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, and fresh basil in a creamy evaporated milk sauce. This elegant 30-minute pasta dinner tastes like fine dining at home.

A creamy mushroom sauce with no cream at all: the silky body comes from mushrooms blended smooth with a reduced, aromatic curry-and-rosemary stock. Light, dairy-free, and elegant over chicken, steak, or pasta.

Manicotti shells stuffed with water-packed tuna, nonfat cottage cheese, lemon, and dill, topped with a creamy yogurt-cottage cheese sauce and Parmesan. A high-protein, low-fat spin on stuffed pasta that's ready in an hour.

A comforting, easy-to-make casserole using mostly pantry staples like canned vegetables, pasta, and a creamy sauce. Tender marinated chicken is combined with rigatoni, mushrooms, green beans, and onions, then baked with a cheesy topping for a family-friendly meal.

Classic French Nantua sauce built from live crayfish, cognac, mirepoix, and cream. A double-reduced, deeply pink shellfish sauce for quenelles, fish, or seafood pasta.

Baked pasta shells with mushroom cream: a lightened chicken-and-pasta casserole with peas, mushrooms, pimentos, and Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Cornstarch-thickened sauce means no heavy bechamel.

Three-green pasta with scallops and pesto sauce: fettuccine tossed with seared sea scallops, asparagus, green beans, peas, pesto, and cream. A quick spring pasta for six ready in 40 minutes.

Spaghettini alla carrettiera with a spicy tomato-vodka cream sauce made from fresh tomatoes, garlic, dried chili, and heavy cream. A fiery Italian pasta that's silky smooth.

Pasta with Light Clam Sauce uses evaporated skim milk and clam juice instead of heavy cream - a brighter, lower-fat version with fresh tomatoes and basil, ready in 30 minutes.