Rigatoni alla Vodka
My Rigatoni alla Vodka is the perfect dish for a cozy night in. It’s creamy, tomatoey and incredibly easy to make, using simple pantry staples like, onions, garlic, tomato paste and a splash of your favorite vodka. Heavy cream and freshly grated parmesan cheese add a touch of decadence. It’s a like warm hug in a bowl.
This Rigatoni alla Vodka is just as tasty as anything you’d get from your neighborhood Italian restaurant – and it’s ready in a flash. An optional spoonful of chopped Calabrian chilis or crushed red pepper flakes adds a touch of heat, but really, the sauce is deeply rich and flavorful even without. A simple green salad rounds out the whole meal.
Grab your bowl of pasta, pour yourself a glass of wine, sink into a cozy chair and pop on Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and I promise you’ll feel blissfully relaxed.
Ingredients you’ll need:
Recipe Steps:
Step 1. Simmer the Pasta while Starting the Sauce
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the pasta. Cook until al dente – reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. While that’s going get started on the vodka sauce. Heat a medium/large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil then sauté the onions and garlic until translucent and fragrant.
Step 2. Cook Off the Tomato Paste
Add in the tomato paste, stirring occasionally until the color has deepened and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the vodka – reduce by half then pour in the cream, basil leaves and parmesan cheese.
Pro Tip: Cooking with Tomato Paste | Tomato paste is a magical ingredient that adds so much depth and concentrated richness to soups, sauces, braises and more. Adding it straight from the can (or tube) doesn’t develop its full flavor potential and can even leave your sauce tasting a bit like metal. To get the most out of your tomato paste caramelize it directly in the bottom of the pan (before adding any liquid ingredients) and allow its full flavor to develop. Once the paste has cooked for 3-5 minutes and the color has deepened you can go ahead and add in your canned tomatoes, wine or broth etc. This extra step not only deepens it’s flavor but also cooks off any unpleasant metallic flavor from the can.
Step 4. Combine the Sauce and Pasta
Add the cooked pasta into the sauce along with the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine. Season with salt as needed. Divide between bowls, serve piping hot!
The Right Way to Sauce Pasta: Toss the hot pasta directly into your simmering sauce, then splash in the starchy pasta water. Frequent, gentle stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula will agitate the starches and emulsifies the fat and cheese into sauce. As everything simmers together the sauce will thicken and begin to cling to the pasta like a luscious, velvety hug.
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Rigatoni alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion - about 1/2 a medium onion
- 3 large cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese - plus more for serving
- kosher salt
- 4-6 fresh basil leaves - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoons chopped Calabrian chilis or crushed red pepper flakes - optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- In the meantime, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add the chopped onion and garlic. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt, sauté 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Next, add the tomato past, stirring often, until the paste is deeply red and starting to brown on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
- Next, pour in the vodka, and continue stirring to incorporate, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, cook 3-4 minutes until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to low then whisk in the heavy cream, basil leaves and reserved pasta water followed by the grated parmesan cheese.
- Next, fold in the cooked pasta, and chopped chilis/crushed red pepper (optional) tossing gently until evenly combined. Note: The sauce should be creamy, velvety and cling to each piece of pasta. If the sauce is on the thin side continue cooking to reduce it down until it coats the pasta. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of water or cream to loosen it back up. Taste and season the pasta with salt as needed. Divide between bowls and serve piping hot.
Notes
- Leftover rigatoni alla vodka can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave. Add a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the sauce as needed.
