Description
This creamy, bold, and slightly spicy rigatoni is inspired by the famous Carbone restaurant dish. With a silky tomato cream sauce and just the right amount of heat, it’s a restaurant-worthy pasta you can make at home in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste (or 1–2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add a generous handful of kosher salt. Add rigatoni and cook until just shy of al dente (about 10-11 minutes). Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until darkened and caramelized.
- Add Calabrian chili paste (or red pepper flakes) and cook for 1 minute, stirring well.
- Lower heat to medium-low. Slowly pour in heavy cream, stirring constantly. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens and turns orange-red. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen sauce.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in butter until melted and glossy. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add drained rigatoni to the sauce. Toss until pasta is evenly coated, adding more pasta water if needed for a creamy consistency.
- Serve immediately, topped with freshly grated parmesan and chopped basil if desired.
Notes
Reserve extra pasta water to adjust sauce consistency. For less spice, use less chili paste. For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free rigatoni. For dairy-free, substitute coconut cream and vegan butter, and omit or replace parmesan. Caramelizing the tomato paste is key for depth of flavor. Taste and adjust seasoning as you go.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1/4 of recipe (approx. 6 ounces cooked pasta with sauce)
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 62
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 14
Keywords: Carbone spicy rigatoni, creamy pasta, spicy pasta, Italian-American, weeknight dinner, restaurant copycat, Calabrian chili, vegetarian pasta, easy pasta recipe