Spicy Rigatoni Vodka

A delicious “accident” inspired by one of my favorite pasta dishes from my one of my favorite Italian restaurants in New York City!

So we finally started going out to eat at restaurants again for outdoor dining and it made me realize how many different dishes I was really missing during quarantine. One of those dishes was the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka from Carbone in NYC. It’s one of my favorite restaurants and my favorite pasta dish from there is the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, which is basically a delicious, creamy vodka sauce pasta infused with some Calabrian chili’s for spice. The sweetness from the white onion helps cut through the spice and you get this delicious balance of sweet, spicy, and creamy all in one. It’s truly so delicious! So I set out to try and recreate this recipe, however, that is not what I ended up with. Instead, I created another super delicious and spicy pasta! It’s not an exact match to that of Carbone, because theirs is magical, but it’s a version that does the job and satisfies the craving!

Pasta is one of my favorite foods, I could literally live on it, but you guys probably already know that. I love all the different shapes and sauces that you can choose from, your options are endless! Vodka sauce is one of my absolute favorite sauces. I love the creaminess of it mixed with the tomato to create a beautiful velvety sauce that takes you to heaven and back. This dish uses a few simple ingredients to create the perfect taste and texture. If you’re a pasta lover, like me, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!

You can totally use any pasta of choice since the sauce is really the star of this dish but just make sure to reserve some of the pasta water so that when you add the pasta to the sauce, you can add the pasta water to help the sauce stick to the pasta. The starchiness of the water helps coat the pasta evenly with sauce to make sure every bite is saucy and delicious! Also, keep in mind, when you are cooking your onions, cook them low and slow so the natural sugars can release, adding the sweetness to your sauce.

I used the Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Sauce for my Calabrian chili element and it works great! However, if you don’t have that, you can use fresh Calabrian chilies; just make sure you grind it in a pestle and mortar to get a paste like consistency before you add it to the sauce. This will give you the spicy element in the sauce and really takes the dish to the next level. I know it’s a super simple pasta, but there’s so many layers of flavor so it’s really important to capture all of it. You also want to make sure let the vodka cook down in the sauce properly so you’re not left with a vodka aftertaste in the pasta.

This dish can easily be doubled if you’re making it for a larger group! Just double all the ingredients and it will suffice for one pound of pasta, which is basically one full box. The sauce takes a little bit of time to cook to make sure you get the right flavors and elements incorporated, but trust me, it’s worth it! I hope you guys will give this one a try and enjoy it as much as I do! Don’t forget to take pictures and tag me in all your creations! Happy eating, friends!