Mangia!
The Secret to Making Instagram-Famous Spicy Rigatoni Vodka Sauce
You know those dishes (or treats) that constantly pop up on Instagram and are so mouth-watering you immediately add them to your “saved” album? Mine was the spicy rigatoni vodka pasta from Carbone. This was, of course, in the prepandemic era, when I could still fantasize about indoor restaurant meals. But even now, everything about this simple yet decadent dish of creamy red sauce with a kick of spice—once presented table-side in a traditional Raffaellesco printed plate—oozes the cozy, authentic touch we all love and enjoy while dining Italian.
Carbone has been a destination in New York since it opened in 2013, attracting both natives and tourists prepared to shell out $32 on picture-perfect pasta.
Growing up in a Sicilian household, I have always know “Pasta Sundays” to be a huge family affair. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother and I starting the succo (sauce to Sicilians) at 10 a.m. so that the meatballs could marinate for six full hours, resulting in a deliciously moist side dish (but that recipe is for another time). My grandma would always bring—and burn—the garlic bread, and my growing family of 15 would sit around the dinner table with a glass of vino and good conversation for hours.
I have continued this family tradition even after moving to New York, but sometimes a classic red sauce just isn't what you're craving every Sunday. So I've switched it up, making my fair share of alla vodka recipes. I've also purchased just about every bottled sauce available on shelves. But none has left me dreaming about the silky sauce every single day—until now. I came across this easy 20-minute recipe after shamelessly downloading TikTok (like every other millennial during quarantine).
Jeremy Sheck was one of the first cooks I happened upon during one late-night scrolling session. His recipe for the perfect spicy rigatoni vodka called for ingredients I already had in my pantry and fridge, making it an obvious choice for my next meal. Yes, my next meal was technically breakfast and I honestly did not think twice about it—I was making it the second I woke up. With no prep, besides boiling salty (seriously, be generous with the salt) water to cook the pasta in, I began creating the delicious, so-good-it-feels-like-a-restaurant-meal sauce.
The secret to a silky smooth sauce, which Sheck reveals in his video and what my mom has preached to me for years, is to always, always save some pasta water from the cooking process! A cup (or so) of pasta water will ultimately determine the texture and presentation of your dish. Adding starchy salt water (also known as liquid gold in my house) will not only enhance the flavor of your succo but emulsify the sauce and pasta, creating a creamy dish.
So good, you're going to want seconds!
I cannot stress what a difference following these two important tips—first, heavily salt your water before boiling, and second, save pasta water before draining—will make. Adhere to these rules, and you'll have the Carbone-like vodka sauce of your dreams. Don't, and you may as well have picked up supermarket bottled sauce on your weekly grocery run. Yes, neither of these steps seems like a big deal, but trust me, forget one and so long, restaurant results! Now that I sound like my grandmother, hitting you over the head with the importance of each step, here's the ingredients list as well as step-by-step instructions. Mangia!
Recipe (for 4–5 servings):
- ½ onion (red or yellow), diced
- 3 splashes (around 3 tbsp.) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. pepper
- 2 tbsp. red pepper flakes (add more for extra spice)
- 2 tbsp. oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 1-oz. can tomato paste
- ⅓ cup vodka
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 lb. rigatoni or pipette pasta
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Handful fresh basil, chopped (optional)
Instructions:
- Boil a medium pot of water with a generous pour of salt—seriously, be generous! As the cookbook author Samin Nosrat says, your pasta water should taste like the sea.
- Turn your stove on medium-low and add your extra-virgin olive oil to a saucepan.
- Add your spices (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano) once the oil is hot.
- Once the spices have fried for ultimate flavor (about 2–3 minutes or so), add the onions.
- Stir in your onions so they get a nice layer of oil on them.
- Check on your pot of water. If it's boiling, add in your pasta.
- While that's simmering, add the garlic, followed by the can of tomato paste to your saucepan.
- Stir together for a minute or two before adding in the vodka followed by the heavy cream.
- Keep stirring.
- Once the sauce has mixed evenly (the color should be soft pink/orange depending on how much cream you added), lower your heat to low.
- Check on your pasta (it should be slightly al dente, after cooking for 9–11 minutes). Save a cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add your pasta to the saucepan and stir in your cheese.
- Once the cheese melts in with the sauce, add ½ cup of pasta water to emulsify the ingredients.
- Plate, and garnish with basil and a sprinkle of cheese.
Talia Gutierrez is the former beauty assistant at Glamour; follow her on Instagram @taliamichelee.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Talia Gutierrez
