Spicy Rigatoni

This (not too) Spicy Rigatoni recipe with a vodka cream sauce is the perfect balance of rich, creamy, savory, and spicy flavors! It's pure comfort food that feels fancy but takes less than 30 minutes to whip up. You control the spice - no complaining kids here today!!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 525kcal

Author Karly Campbell

Ingredients

1 pound rigatoni
½ sweet onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes see notes
6 ounces tomato paste
¼ cup vodka see notes
1 cup heavy cream
Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta for 1 minute less than the pasta states.
While the water is coming to a boil, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the onions.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir to coat the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the vodka and heavy cream and stir well to combine. Let the sauce simmer over very low heat as the pasta finishes cooking.
Taste the sauce and add additional red pepper flakes if you’d like it more spicy.
Use a slotted spoon or strainer to scoop the pasta from the water directly into the sauce. Add a ¼ cup or so of pasta water to the sauce and stir it all together to combine.
Finish cooking the pasta for 1 minute in the sauce, adding additional pasta water as needed to thin it out a bit.
Use a microplane grater or the smallest holes on a cheese grater to grate Parmesan cheese over the top, stir to combine, and serve.

Notes

Spice: Love that this one can easily be amped up to be more spicy or toned down for younger kids. We find 1 teaspoon to be mild enough for just about anyone, thanks to all that heavy cream. For more spice, adjust the red pepper flakes accordingly. If you’re cooking for people who like a little extra kick and you don’t mind grabbing a specialty product, calabrian chili paste is fabulous stirred in with the tomato paste. Adds an extra depth, but totally not necessary.

Protein: We actually do a lot of meatless meals around our house and this one is great as is. Use a protein pasta to amp it up or serve with our air fryer chicken cutlets.

Substitutions: Any short shape pasta will work here (ziti, macaroni, farfalle, penne). You can swap in ½ cup of whole milk and 2-4 ounces of cream cheese for the heavy cream if you don’t keep that on hand. Onions can be subbed for shallots or left out entirely for picky eaters. Jarlic works great if you’re not feeling like mincing fresh. Sub the vodka for white wine or just add additional pasta water if you don’t keep vodka on hand.

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