Spicy Rigatoni Pasta (Printable)

Rich and creamy rigatoni in a mildly spicy tomato sauce. A comforting Italian-American dish ready in just 35 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz rigatoni pasta
02 - Salt for boiling water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
04 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
07 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
08 - 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
09 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
10 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh basil leaves, chopped
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta in a colander.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened and translucent.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until slightly caramelized.
05 - Pour in crushed tomatoes and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.
06 - Reduce heat to low. Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes until creamy.
07 - Add drained rigatoni to sauce and toss to coat thoroughly. Add reserved pasta water gradually if sauce is too thick, stirring until desired consistency is achieved.
08 - Transfer to serving dishes immediately. Garnish with fresh basil and additional Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce clings to every ridged tube of pasta like it was designed for this exact moment.
  • You get restaurant flavor without spending an hour at the stove or hunting down obscure ingredients.
  • The heat builds gently, warming your lips without overwhelming the creamy richness.
  • It reheats beautifully the next day, sometimes tasting even better after the flavors marry overnight.
02 -
  • Reserving pasta water before draining is crucial, I forgot once and ended up with a thick, clumpy sauce that wouldn't loosen no matter how much I stirred.
  • Adding cream to a boiling sauce can cause it to break and look curdled, always reduce the heat to low first.
  • Cooking the tomato paste until it darkens transforms the flavor, skipping this step leaves the sauce tasting flat and a little metallic.
03 -
  • Toast the red pepper flakes in the olive oil for thirty seconds before adding the onion, it blooms the heat and makes the spice more complex.
  • Use a skillet large enough to toss the pasta comfortably, cramming everything into a small pan makes it impossible to coat the rigatoni evenly.
  • Finish the dish with a drizzle of good olive oil just before serving, it adds a fruity richness that makes the whole dish shine.
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