Gigi Hadid Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce and Rigatoni
By Emma Collins
Prep
5 min
Cook
25 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
To make this dish in advance for dinner, cook a 16-ounce box of rigatoni and save some of the pasta cooking water and rigatoni to mix with Parmesan cheese and butter when serving later. This Gigi Hadid pasta recipe is a tomato-based pasta recipe that includes sautéed tomato paste, crushed red pepper for a hint of heat, and fresh basil.
Olive oil is sautéed with minced garlic and tomato paste to mellow the flavor and acidity of the tomato paste before adding cream. Dried basil and crushed red pepper are used to season the tomato sauce, while cream, butter, and pasta water are used to help the sauce cling to rigatoni pasta. Penne pasta is suggested as a serving option, but rigatoni has ridges that trap more sauce in each bite.
Test the tomato paste by observing it darken from red to reddish brown in four to five minutes. The desired consistency is achieved for the tomato paste. Add Parmesan cheese and butter and some pasta cooking water to the sauce when you are ready to serve it with the pasta. One mistake people often make is draining the pasta cooking water, which makes it more difficult to thin and adhere the sauce to the pasta.
The pasta can be served alone or with Caesar salad, garlic bread, grilled chicken, or crispy chicken cutlets on the side. If serving set portions, consider providing fresh parsley and Parmesan and chili pepper flakes on the side to keep these ingredients looking fresh in storage containers. Add the fresh parsley and other ingredients to set portions after reheating for contrast.
Why this recipe works
- A 16-ounce box of pasta provides several servings. Pasta cooking water can be added to servings to help sauce stick to the pasta.
- The sauce ingredients list tomato paste, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. These ingredients can be premeasured before cooking pasta.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is more likely to melt and is less likely to cause the cheese sauce in reheated food to become clumpy.
- The rigatoni pasta shape holds sauce, so when they are served, diners get more sauce on their plates than they would with other pasta shapes in the serving dish.
- Saving the pasta cooking water rather than draining it ensures that you have an ingredient for your sauce on hand. You won't have to locate this ingredient after the pasta has been drained.
- Optional toppings of parsley, extra cheese, and red pepper flakes can be added to preportioned pasta to provide a fresher taste. The original pasta dishes remain unchanged.
Ingredients
- •16 ounces rigatoni pasta or penne
- •½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- •1 tbsp fresh garlic (finely minced)
- •⅔ cup tomato paste
- •1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
- •2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste; additional flakes optional for garnish)
- •2 tsp dried basil
- •salt (to taste)
- •black pepper (to taste)
- •½ cup freshly grated Parmesan (more to taste)
- •2 tbsp unsalted butter
- •½ cup pasta water (reserve at least 1 cup before draining; use more as needed)
- •parsley (finely chopped, optional garnish)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- 2
Add the olive oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste, then cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens from bright red to reddish brown.
- 3
Add the heavy cream and mix until incorporated. Simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- 4
Add the red pepper flakes, dried basil, salt, and black pepper to taste. Mix again.
- 5
Add the grated Parmesan, butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Mix until the sauce is smooth and creamy, adding more pasta water if needed.
- 6
Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly. Optionally top with more grated Parmesan, chopped parsley, and red pepper flakes.
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