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The spicy vodka pasta from Carbone has become one of the restaurant’s most famous dishes, known for its rich, creamy sauce and bold heat. The dish features al dente pasta tossed in a silky tomato-vodka cream sauce made with tomato paste, cream, butter, and vodka, then finished with a generous amount of chili for its signature kick. The result is a perfectly balanced sauce that’s tangy, slightly sweet, spicy, and incredibly velvety, coating every piece of pasta for a luxurious and comforting bite that has made the dish a viral favorite.
Key Ingredients For Spicy Vodka Pasta Recipe
- Pasta: Typically short pasta like rigatoni that holds onto the creamy sauce well.
- Tomato paste: Provides deep tomato flavor and richness that forms the base of the sauce.
- Heavy cream: Creates the signature silky, velvety texture of vodka sauce.
- Vodka: Helps release flavor compounds in the tomatoes while adding subtle sharpness.
- Butter: Rounds out the sauce with richness and helps emulsify everything together.
- Parmesan cheese: Adds salty, nutty umami that enhances the overall flavor of the pasta. 🍝🔥
Spicy Vodka Pasta
This copycat spicy vodka pasta recipe from carbone is so easy to make at home and comes together by the time your pasta is done cooking.
Ingredients
- 200 g dry rigatoni
- 3 tbsp butter, (1 for aromatics, 2 at the end)
- ½ yellow onion, (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 birds eye chili
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 stem basil
- 2 tbsp vodka
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup pasta water
- ½ cup grated parm
Instructions
- Dice your onions, garlic, and chilies. Set aside.½ yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 birds eye chili
- Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and season generously with salt. Start cooking your rigatoni.200 g dry rigatoni
- Into a separate pan on medium heat add 1 tbsp butter and add in your onions, garlic, and chilies.3 tbsp butter
- Once softened, add in your tomato paste and basil and stir for 1 minute.3 tbsp tomato paste, 1 stem basil
- Add vodka and let it reduce completely (about 2 minutes)2 tbsp vodka
- Remove the basil stem and add heavy cream. Mix well to incorporate.½ cup heavy cream
- Once the pasta is el dente add it in to the pan along with pasta water and grated parm.½ cup pasta water, ½ cup grated parm
- Mix well until sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Finish with by mixing in 2 tbsp more butter, and enjoy.3 tbsp butter
