Pasta
Vodka Rigatoni
Creamy, spicy comfort pasta dish
The classic sauce you've seen in probably every corner of the internet at this point - from Gigi Hadid to Carbone. This is super easy to make and impresses literally everybody. I've tried so many different variations of this sauce, with shallots, red onions, differing cuts of onions, different acids, adding pancetta fat, different sequencings of all the ingredients, just so many iterations over the years. This dish honestly taught me so much about food chemistry, flavor extraction and emulsion when I started out.
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Cook
- 20–25 minutes
- Total
- 35 minutes
- Serves
- 2
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- About 850 cal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Last updated
- September 18th, 2026
Method
Pasta
- 01
Bring a pot of water to a boil, about 2–3 quarts / 2–3 liters, just as you start making the sauce.
- 02
Generously salt the water based on how much you are using—about 1–1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt for 2–3 quarts of water.
- 03
Boil the rigatoni to just under the package’s recommended al dente time, usually about 10–12 minutes. Start boiling the pasta while the tomato paste cooks down so it is ready around the same time as the sauce.
- 04
Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce, even if you might not use all of it.
Sauce
- 01
In a pan over low heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter.
- 02
Once the butter melts, add the sliced onion and chili flakes or Calabrian chilies. Simmer for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and softened but not caramelized.
- 03
Add the sliced garlic and continue to simmer over low heat for 1–2 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown.
- 04
Add the tomato paste, stirring it around the pan to pick up the garlic and onion. Cook over low-medium heat for about 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the paste is a darker brick red.
- 05
Pour in your vodka (or your chosen alternative from the notes) to deglaze the pan. Scrape up the fond and simmer for about 2–3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced slightly. If using vodka, the strong ethanol smell should go away.
- 06
Add the passata and stir to combine. Simmer over low-medium heat for about 3–5 minutes.
- 07
Slowly add the heavy cream, until the sauce is a vibrant orange after mixing. Simmer over low heat for about 2–3 minutes.
- 08
Add reserved pasta water 2–4 tbsp at a time to loosen the sauce as it thickens. Simmer gently until it coats the back of a spoon; keep it slightly loose because it will thicken further with the pasta and Parmesan.
- 09
Once the sauce coats the back of a spoon, add the drained pasta and most of your grated Parmesan, reserving a little for plating. Stir over low heat for 1–2 minutes, adding another splash of pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.
- 10
Turn off the heat and taste for salt.
Plating
- 01
Finish each serving with the reserved Parmesan.
Notes
-
If you can't use vodka, you can easily get away with an alternative liquid to deglaze with instead. I've used a mixture of lemon juice (1–2 tsp) and water (1/4 cup), white wine vinegar (1/2–1 tsp) mixed with 1/4 cup of water, or just water works fine as well.
-
If you can't use passata, you can actually just use marinara sauce of some kind. I recommend Rao's or Victoria's since those can be found everywhere. Start with a little less than the 3/4 cup of passata called for, and cook for 1–2 minutes less since they already have olive oil, garlic, herbs, etc. in them.