The Spicy Vodka Rigatoni Recipe You'll Make on Repeat

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast adds umami without dairy.

Gather all ingredients: rigatoni noodles, tomato paste, Calabrian chopped peppers, heavy cream, butter, vodka, spicy Italian sausage, parmesan cheese, and sweet onion.

Finely chop half of a sweet onion, aiming for small pieces to blend into the sauce.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and season it with lots of salt.

Cook 8 ounces of rigatoni noodles for about 10 minutes until al dente, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.

Set the drained pasta aside and keep the reserved pasta water for later use.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown about half a pound of spicy Italian sausage for 5 to 7 minutes until charred.

Remove the browned sausage from the skillet and set it aside, leaving the flavorful bits in the pan.

Melt some butter in the same skillet over medium heat, then add the finely chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent.

Add about 1 tablespoon of Calabrian chopped peppers to the skillet and stir them in, cooking until fragrant.

Stir in 6 ounces of tomato paste and cook until it becomes smoky.

Pour in the vodka and add the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) and heavy cream to the skillet, mixing well.

Turn off the heat and add about 1/4 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese to the sauce, stirring until combined.

Return the browned sausage to the skillet and add the cooked rigatoni, mixing everything together.

If the sauce is too thick, add more reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency.

Plate the pasta and garnish with fresh basil and additional parmesan cheese as desired.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens