Copycat Carbone’s Spicy Pasta is an easy but flavorful dish inspired by the popular Spicy Rigatoni recipe from Carbone’s restaurant menu. Perfectly cooked pasta is tossed with a rich and creamy red tomato sauce, ready to serve in about 15 minutes. For another quick and easy pasta dish, try my Cheeseburger Pasta!
If you’ve ever been to New York City, you’ve probably heard about trying to get a reservation at Carbone, a highly popular Italian restaurant known for its spicy rigatoni pasta dish. The smooth and creamy light red sauce is similar to a vodka sauce, but this recipe, like Carbone’s, doesn’t include vodka. If you can’t get a reservation or make it to New York anytime soon, you can recreate this spicy pasta at home!
Copycat Carbone’s Spicy Pasta Recipe
With just a few ingredients, you can have a creamy and hearty pasta dish on the table in less than 20 minutes!
How to Make Spicy Pasta
To start making this delicious pasta dish, cook the noodles according to the package directions. Be sure to reserve a cup of pasta water to add to the dish later. Drain and rinse the noodles and set them aside as you prepare the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, or until you smell that wonderful garlic aroma! Add the tomato paste, cream, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Combine and cook these ingredients until they are heated through.
Here is where the reserved pasta water comes in. Add the water a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency for the sauce. Finally, add the cooked pasta noodles and mix it all together. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with homemade garlic breadsticks. No one will ever know you didn’t get takeout from the Italian restaurant!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cavatappi noodles (450 grams), cooked according to package instructions
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (45 milliliters)
- 3 teaspoons garlic, minced (15 grams)
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste (170 grams)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (480 milliliters)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (5 grams)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (5 grams)
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (10 grams)
- 1 cup pasta water (240 milliliters), reserved from cooked pasta
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
1. Cook the Pasta
Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add the pasta noodles, and cook them according to the package instructions. Be sure to reserve 1 cup (240 milliliters) of the cooked pasta water before you drain and rinse the noodles. Set the cooked noodles aside until you add them to the sauce.
2. Prepare the Red Sauce
To make the red sauce, you will need a large skillet. Heat up the olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
3. Combine Ingredients
After the garlic has cooked for no more than a minute, add the tomato paste, cream, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook these ingredients together until they are heated through.
4. Adjust the Sauce Consistency
At this point, you may need to add a little of the reserved pasta water to the sauce. Add one tablespoon of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency for the sauce.
5. Mix in the Pasta
Finally, pour in the cooked cavatappi noodles and mix everything together until the noodles are coated with the red sauce.
6. Garnish and Serve
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm. Enjoy your homemade Copycat Carbone’s Spicy Pasta!
