Does this spicy rigatoni have vodka in it?

It does not! You'll find a lot of recipes similar to this one that will use vodka, but I don't find it's super necessary here.

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can - but it will never reheat quite as well as it would have been when it was fresh. It will also continue to absorb liquid in the sauce, so you'll need to add a little water to it when you heat it (1 or 2 tablespoons should be fine). Either reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave at 30-second intervals. It will keep well in the fridge, stored in a covered container for 4 days. You could also make the sauce ahead of time, then just cook the pasta and mix it through the sauce when you're ready to serve. The sauce will keep well in the fridge in a covered container for 5 days.

How spicy is the pasta?

Different brands of harissa paste have different levels of spice, so my advice is always to taste yours first! The spice is heavily tapered by the cream and the tomato paste so it's not super spicy - it just has a nice, warming level of heat. If you're worried, reduce the amount of harissa to 1 tablespoon or even 1/2 tablespoon.

Easy Spicy Rigatoni

Name: Easy Spicy Rigatoni
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt; 400g dried rigatoni; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; ¼ cup tomato paste; 2 tablespoons harissa chilli paste; 1 cup heavy cream (double cream in UK, pure pouring cream in NZ/AU); 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated; A handful of fresh basil leaves

Description

This creamy, dreamy spicy rigatoni is super easy, super fast (20 minutes) and uses cupboard staples. Silky, harissa spiked tomato sauce tossed through perfectly al dente rigatoni makes for a very special, flavour-packed dish fab for busy days or a cosy night in.

Remember, if you’re looking for US measurements, use the ‘Units’ section below and click on ‘US’.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
400g dried rigatoni
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons harissa chilli paste
1 cup heavy cream (double cream in UK, pure pouring cream in NZ/AU)
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
A handful of fresh basil leaves

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Instructions

Cook your pasta. Fill a large pot about ¾ full of water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set over high heat a bring to a boil, then add your rigatoni and cook until al dente (cooked through, but still with a little bite to it). Depending on the brand of your pasta, this will take 8 – 11 minutes.
Make the spicy sauce. While the pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large high-sided skillet or pan over medium heat, then add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the onion has softened nicely and is starting to look translucent (more see-through). At this point, add the crushed garlic cloves, tomato paste and harissa paste. Stir them through the onions for another minute. Turn the heat to low, then pour in the cream, stir to combine well and bring to a gentle simmer. Add three-quarters of the parmesan and stir again as it melts into the sauce.
Combine the pasta and sauce. Once the pasta is al dente, transfer it directly into the pan with the sauce using a slotted spoon, along with ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water. The pasta water is key to creating a glossy, smooth sauce so don’t drain it away! Toss the rigatoni through the sauce, making sure every piece is coated well. If the sauce is a little thick for your liking, add another couple of tablespoons of pasta cooking water and toss through. If you think it’s too liquidy, add a little more parmesan and keep tossing the pasta for another minute. Remember that pasta continues to absorb liquid as it sits, so you actually want it liquidy in the pan. That way, when it hits your plate, the consistency will be perfect.
Garnish and serve. Divide the pasta between plates, then top with the remaining grated parmesan and the fresh basil leaves!

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: Harissa is a North African chilli paste (traditionally made up of dried chillies, garlic, spices, lemon juice and olive oil) and it provides an incredible flavour to the sauce here. You’ll find it in the spices aisle of your grocery store, and you can also find it on Amazon. Try to use a block of parmesan and grate it yourself – pre-grated parmesan totally has its place but it’s not in recipes where you want it to melt into the sauce. It’s coated in an anti-caking agent which means it just won’t melt properly and it may turn your sauce grainy.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can’t find harissa, you can use another chilli paste, or just use red pepper flakes. You could use sour cream in place of the cream here, or your favourite dairy-free alternative (I like using oat cream!). Use pecorino or manchego in place of the parmesan if you like. Swap rigatoni for any other pasta shape you have to hand – penne, fusilli, spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine would be great too.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The pasta will keep well in the fridge in a covered container for 4 days – you can either reheat it on the stovetop over low heat in a pan or in the microwave at 30-second intervals. You’ll need to add a couple of tablespoons of water when you heat it – the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it sits so you’ll want to loosen it up. You can also make the sauce in advance (will keep well in the fridge for 5 days), and then cook the pasta and mix it through the sauce when you’re ready to serve.

Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 15
Category: pasta
Method: stove top
Cuisine: italian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 100g

Keywords: spicy pasta, vodka pasta sauce, spicy pasta sauce