Name: Creamy Tuscan Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers ((See recipe notes below)); 2 cloves fresh minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic); 1-2 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves; 1 pint mushrooms, sliced; 1 cup finely diced yellow or white onion; 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning blend); 1 cup heavy cream; ¼ cup Ricotta cheese; 1 - 1½ cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese ((or Parmesan)); 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; salt and pepper

Creamy Tuscan sauce is a quick and easy Italian cream sauce that is perfect for pasta, seafood or chicken! This flavorful sauce can really “dress-up” your weeknight dinner in minutes!

Tuscan cream sauce over tortellini with mushrooms, spinach and red peppers.

With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a restaurant-quality Tuscan cream sauce in minutes. This recipe is super-versatile and can be used as a pasta sauce, or a cream sauce for chicken, fish or shrimp.

I’ve never been to Italy, so I don’t know first-hand if this is an authentic Italian cream sauce or not, but it sure works for me!

Ingredients

Olive oil – I recommend using a high-quality extra virgin olive oil
Garlic – a few cloves of fresh minced garlic
Onion – white or yellow onion finely diced
Seasonings – I use Herbs de Provence, but you can use a dried Italian seasoning blend instead
Sun dried tomatoes or roasted red bell peppers – you can use the jarred version of either of these (this recipe uses roasted red bell peppers)
Heavy cream
Cheese – I recommend using freshly grated Pecorino Romano, but you can use grated Parmesan as a substitute
Ricotta cheese – this is what makes this super creamy
Mushrooms – get sliced button mushrooms or portobello mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms, then omit them
Spinach – fresh baby spinach leaves or you can use fresh basil leaves
Lemon juice – a squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens the Tuscan sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make it

This is an overview of the recipe. See the recipe card below for exact ingredient measurements and recipe steps.

Saute onions, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms in a little olive oil over medium heat
Season with a little Herb de Provence, salt and pepper
Add cheese and heavy cream and cook for a few minutes
Finish the creamy Tuscan sauce with a little fresh lemon juice and serve

Craving Tuscan Shrimp? Just nestle a few peeled and deveined Gulf shrimp into the sauce and cook for 5 minutes!

Tuscan sauce can be served with pasta as a Tuscan pasta sauce or with baked or pan-seared boneless skinless chicken. It’s also a great recipe for salmon- just drizzle a little warm sauce over the fish, pasta or chicken breasts and call it dinner!

Tuscan cream sauce over tortellini in black bowl.

Recipe tips

Make sure the heavy cream and Ricotta cheese are not super cold when you add them or they’ll curdle
Add as much spinach leaves as you like

Variations and substitutions

The traditional creamy Tuscan garlic sauce recipe typically uses sun dried tomatoes. If you don’t have any sun dried tomatoes on hand, feel free to substitute with jarred and drained roasted red peppers or diced tomatoes. (I use roasted red peppers in my version.)
No mushrooms? No problem. You can substitute with sliced black olives or nothing at all. The sauce will still be delicious.
No fresh garlic? Use jarred minced garlic or garlic powder
No Herb de Provence? Use a dried Italian seasoning blend
Don’t have fresh baby spinach? You can use basil leaves or other soft leaf green

Serving suggestions

Drizzle warm sauce over your favorite pasta or use this sauce for easy creamy Tuscan chicken or Tuscan salmon.
Add shrimp or scallops to the sauce and create your own Tuscan Shrimp recipe or Tuscan scallop recipe.
Serve over steamed broccoli, asparagus or roasted Brussels sprouts.

Storage and make ahead

Creamy Tuscan sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, simply warm the sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop or microwave it until it’s warmed throughout.

Tuscan cream sauce over tortellini in black bowl with roasted red peppers, mushrooms and spinach.

Creamy Tuscan Sauce

Cream-based garlic sauce with roasted red tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, and spinach. Perfect sauce for pasta, chicken, fish or shrimp!

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Print Rate

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Yield: cups

Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers (See recipe notes below)
2 cloves fresh minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic)
1-2 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
1 cup finely diced yellow or white onion
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning blend)
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup Ricotta cheese
1 – 1½ cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Instructions

Prep:
Get the cream out of the fridge; measure one cup and let it sit at room temperature
Measure out the ricotta cheese; set aside
Grate 1 – 1½ cups Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese; set aside
Dice onions, mince garlic, clean and slice mushrooms, drain roasted red peppers and cut into small to medium size pieces; cut lemon in half; set all this aside
1 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, 2 cloves fresh minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic), 1 pint mushrooms, sliced, 1 cup finely diced yellow or white onion, 1 cup heavy cream, ¼ cup Ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 – 1½ cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese
In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat and add diced onion and mushrooms; saute 3-4 minutes then add garlic, roasted red peppers and sliced mushrooms; add seasoning, saute for another 5 minutes or so, until the moisture from the peppers and mushrooms has reduced a little
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning blend)
Turn heat to low and add heavy cream and grated cheese and stir until the cheese is melted; add ricotta cheese and cook until well combined; season with salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream, ¼ cup Ricotta cheese, 1 – 1½ cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, salt and pepper
Add spinach leaves, stir and cook for 1 minutes; drizzle lemon juice into sauce, stir and serve
1-2 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Notes

Yield: This makes about 2 cups of sauce

You can substitute jarred sun dried tomatoes if you like; just drain them first, then slice them into smaller pieces

Spinach leaves – start by adding one handful; if you want more, then add a little more

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 4servingsCalories: 972kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 40gFat: 82gSaturated Fat: 45gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 228mgSodium: 994mgPotassium: 1200mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 3686IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 1025mgIron: 5mg

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