Spicy Rigatoni

Ingredients

• 1 onion (Finely diced)
• 6 cloves fresh garlic (Minced)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt (To taste; also used to salt the pasta water)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes (Also called red chili flakes)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 qt water for cooking pasta (Salt the water; reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup unsweetened heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz rigatoni pasta (Cook until al dente; package instructions or about 12 minutes)
• 0.5 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Additional Parmesan may be used for topping)
• fresh parsley (For garnish, optional)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, and cook for 3–5 minutes, until softened and yellowed.

2. 2

   Add the tomato paste to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the paste is brick red and begins to caramelize.

3. 3

   Add 1 cup of pasta water, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Add the heavy whipping cream and mix well with the spicy tomato sauce.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, heat a large pot containing 3 quarts of salted water. Once the water is boiling, add the rigatoni and cook until al dente, following the package instructions or cooking for about 12 minutes.

6. 6

   Drain the rigatoni, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

7. 7

   Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the spicy sauce. Reduce the burner heat to low, then stir in the butter until incorporated.

8. 8

   Add more reserved pasta water if needed to reach the desired sauce consistency.

9. 9

   Add the grated Parmesan cheese and check the seasoning. Add more salt and black pepper if needed.

10. 10

    Top with additional Parmesan and fresh parsley, if desired, before serving.

Notes

The source lists pasta water among the sauce ingredients before directing the pasta to be cooked and drained; reserve 1 cup from the salted cooking water for the sauce. The source does not specify an exact serving yield, so this is estimated at 2 servings.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• pasta
• Italian
• spicy
• vegetarian
• creamy
• stovetop
• quick meal