Spicy Rigatoni Pasta Recipe

Pasta with red sauce is one of those dinners that never gets old — It's the ultimate comfort food and hits right every time. It's also easy to prepare, can be made using pantry ingredients, and appeals to even the most picky eaters. You can also take the recipe in an endless number of different directions with a few simple ingredient swaps — you can add herbs, spices, proteins, or even elements like olives, capers, and anchovies. 

Our restaurant-worthy spicy rigatoni pasta features a few sophisticated ingredients to add a kick of heat. The secret ingredient is Calabrian chile paste, and this paired with simple ingredients like canned tomatoes and jarred tomato paste will produce a recipe that might keep you from ever buying a jar of premade sauce again. It's creamy and rich without being too heavy, and made with wholesome ingredients that you probably have on hand. The best part is that you can whip it up easily in your kitchen in under 30 minutes. Whether you are looking for an easy weeknight dinner, or planning a holiday menu, this dish delivers.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "Growing up in an Italian family, rigatoni was on the weekly rotation, and there was always a homemade sauce involved. This spicy version has just the right amount of heat and can be dialed up or down based on your preferences."

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up an onion, garlic, and some fresh basil leaves. Then check the pasta area for rigatoni pasta, canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and Calabrian chile paste. Stop by the dairy aisle for heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Then check your condiment and spice cabinet for olive oil, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.

Bring a pot of water to boil.

Drop in the rigatoni and cook according to the package directions, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes until translucent.

Stir in the garlic and Calabrian chile paste and cook for about thirty seconds until fragrant.

Add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes, stirring often, to let it caramelize slightly.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cream, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, and stir for 5 minutes on low heat.

Add the cooked rigatoni to the sauce and toss to coat evenly, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen it.

Stir in the Parmesan.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

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Calabrian chiles are grown in Southern Italy in the region of Calabria near the "tip" of the boot. They are spicy red peppers that are small in size but offer vibrant heat along with smoky, tangy undertones that balance out the heat. You still get the kick, but it doesn't overpower the dish. You can buy them a few different ways. The most common way to find them is crushed and turned into a paste. In this form they're packaged in a small jar filled with oil and it's the easiest way to add them to pastas and sauces.

You can also find them sold in jarred form whole with the stems. You can chop and blend them, or cut up the peppers and add them to finished sauces, salads, or roasted vegetables. Another way to buy Calabrian chiles is dried. If using them this way, you'll need to soak them in water to rehydrate them, and then add them to a food processor and blend them into a paste.

There are several ingredient swaps that can be made when making this recipe. To start, any type of pasta can be used. Other shapes that work well and hold the sauce similarly are penne, ziti, or rotini. You can go for a gluten-free option or a high protein version of pasta as well.

To make this recipe dairy-free, swap out the heavy cream with unsweetened coconut milk, oat milk, or flax milk. Or you can soak ½ cup of raw cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain and add them to a blender with ½ water and ¼ teaspoon of salt for a homemade cream. Instead of regular Parmesan, you can buy dairy-free Parmesan or use nutritional yeast.

For a less spicy version, use ½ teaspoon of the Calabrian chile paste or omit it altogether. To make up for some of the tangy flavor, blend up sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil to make a paste or add roasted red peppers. Both will add depth of flavor without the heat.

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