Spicy Rigatoni Rosa
As far as chains go, I don’t really discriminate. I’m not going to lie I love pretty much everything, anywhere. I feel like there is nothing more comforting than a big plate of pasta. One of my favorite chains is Buca di Beppo. The Spicy Chicken Rigatoni (minus the chicken) is one of my favorite dishes of ALL TIME. I can probably finish a whole plate of garlic bread too. My family can be quite picky with non-Indian dishes so the Spicy Rigatoni is a rare dish that everyone loves. This is my take on making a copy cat. There are several online, I have taken the crux of it and adjusted it per my families taste. So here it is, Spicy Rigatoni Rosa!
There are a couple of tips and tricks to making this dish. First of all, cook your pasta until about 1-2 minutes under “al dente”. I love finishing the pasta in the sauce because it absorbs so well. Secondly, SAVE YOUR PASTA WATER! I can’t tell you how important this is. Scoop out about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pasta water before you drain your noodles. If your sauce gets dry or you want to add more gloss and body to your sauce, alternating between cheese and pasta water will get you to the perfect spot. The last tip is to go slowly with the sauce. Focus on developing the flavors in each step, it really pays off in the end result.
So, with all that being said let’s get started! The first step is to build up the base. Warm olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and red chili flake. Keep this going for a while until you can really see the oil turn orange and the garlic paste has taken on a little color. As you can see I couldn’t pick one photo! It already looks so scrumptious!
After a fair bit of the base is done I add the frozen peas and cook them down for a bit. This is to give them a bit of a head start and it also cools the pan a bit so that when you add the cream it doesn’t splatter as much. Before you add the cream lower the heat to a medium-low. Keep stirring until you have a slightly thicker consistency. Add in your noodles and mix them in the skillet until they’re all coated in the cream sauce.
Add in your marinara sauce and mix. If you need some extra liquid at this point add in the pasta water in quarter cup increments. Also, mix in the cheese now. At this point just add in a couple of pads of butter and toss before you’re ready to serve!
Spicy Rigatoni Rosa
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni any pasta is fine but I like something tubular!
- 24 oz marinara
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 3 tbsp garlic paste
- 1/2 stick butter or vegan alternative
Instructions
- Cook noodles in salted boiling water until about 1-2 minutes before "al dente".
- On medium-high heat, place a large skillet and heat up olive oil, and add in garlic, red chili flake, and diced onion. Heat through until the onions are translucent.
- Add in peas, and lower heat. Add in heavy cream and continuously stir until slightly thickened. Add in cooked noodles and toss in the cream sauce.
- Add in marinara and continuously toss. Add in pasta water if necessary. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese and any additional red chili flake you'd like!
