Food Recipes Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka 3.3 (105) This pasta recipe hits all the good notes: creamy, spicy, rich, and saucy. Vodka does more than just add a little booze to the mix—it marries the disparate elements, bringing together the caramelized shallots and garlic with the bright tomato paste and the decadent cream. By Ananda Eidelstein Ananda Eidelstein Instagram Website Ananda Eidelstein is a vegetable-loving food writer, recipe developer, and editor. She is the former Senior Food Editor at REAL SIMPLE magazine. Prior to writing and editing feature stories, having her own monthly vegetarian column, and developing over 300 recipes during her time at RS, she was the Assistant Food Editor at Rachael Ray Every Day. She has also gained experience in the test kitchens of Martha Stewart's Living, and Saveur magazines, in catering, TV, and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Ananda is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, now known as the International Culinary Center, with nearly a decade of culinary and food media experience. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 19, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Hands On Time: 25 mins Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 6 serves This makes a big batch, perfect for cold weather dinner parties fueled by red wine and slow-burning candles. Psst…If you want to swap in a different pasta for what you have on hand, make sure to use one that has ridges (like penne) to sop up the sauce. Ingredients 1 pound mezzi rigatoni or other short pasta 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 5 large shallots, sliced (2½ cups) 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more for cooking pasta 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1 6-oz. can tomato paste ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper ½ cup vodka Freshly ground black pepper, for serving Directions Cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted water according to package directions for al dente; before draining, ladle 1 cup pasta water into a large, heatproof bowl. Drain cooked pasta. Whisk cream into reserved pasta water. Set aside. Melt butter with oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium. Add shallots and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring often, until tomato paste starts to darken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add vodka; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add reserved cream mixture, several grinds of black pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until combined, about 1 minute; add pasta and toss to coat. Serve topped with several more grinds of black pepper. Greg DuPree Print