Gigi Hadid Pasta Recipe
Cooking the tomato paste in butter and shallots before adding vodka concentrates its flavor and cooks off any raw, tinny taste, while the vodka itself helps dissolve flavor compounds in the tomato paste that water and fat alone can't pull out. A generous hit of heavy cream at the end mellows the red pepper flakes into a rounded, spicy-but-creamy sauce instead of a sharp one.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup parmesan, grated, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn, for serving
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 793
- Protein
- 19g
- Carbs
- 94g
- Fat
- 37g
Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.
Need different units or a different yield? Try our Conversion Calculator →
Instructions
- 1Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until 1-2 minutes short of package directions, so it stays firm enough to finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- 2Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes until softened and translucent.
- 3Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- 4Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes, pressing the paste into the pan so it darkens slightly and smells sweet rather than sharp and metallic.
- 5Pour in the vodka, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the vodka's raw alcohol smell cooks off and the liquid reduces by about half.
- 6Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream. Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until the sauce turns a uniform pale orange and thickens slightly.
- 7Add the drained rigatoni to the skillet along with the parmesan and salt. Toss to coat, adding splashes of reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce clings to the noodles rather than pooling underneath.
- 8Divide among bowls and top with extra parmesan and torn basil.
Tips & variations
- No vodka on hand? Simmer the tomato paste with an extra 1/4 cup pasta water or chicken broth for a similar reduction, though the sauce will taste slightly flatter without the vodka's extraction effect.
- For a closer match to the original viral version, stir in a tablespoon of butter at the very end off heat for extra shine.
- Add cooked Italian sausage or crispy pancetta for a heartier, non-vegetarian version.
- Short pasta shapes like penne or paccheri work as well as rigatoni; their ridges and tubes hold the sauce the same way.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce, since it thickens considerably once chilled. Not recommended for freezing, as cream sauces tend to separate when thawed.
Tips from the Tulo kitchen
- Adding the tomato paste to the pan while it's still fairly dry and letting it fry for a few minutes makes a bigger difference to flavor than most people expect; don't rush past this step.
- Undercooking the pasta slightly before draining matters here, since it keeps cooking in the hot sauce and would otherwise turn mushy by the time it's served.
FAQ
What is Gigi Hadid pasta?
It's a spicy vodka pasta that went viral after Gigi Hadid shared her version on Instagram; the sauce is built from tomato paste, butter, shallots, vodka, and heavy cream, tossed with a short pasta like rigatoni.
Can you taste the vodka in the finished sauce?
No. The vodka is simmered for several minutes specifically to cook off the alcohol, leaving behind only the extra flavor it helped pull from the tomato paste, not a boozy taste.
Can I make this pasta without alcohol?
Yes, substitute the vodka with an equal amount of chicken broth or pasta water. The sauce will taste slightly less complex but still works well.
What pasta shape is best for vodka sauce?
Short tubular shapes like rigatoni, penne, or paccheri are ideal because the sauce clings to the ridges and collects inside the tubes; long noodles tend to slide off.
Why did my sauce turn out grainy or split?
This usually happens if the cream is added over too-high heat or boiled hard after adding the parmesan. Keep the heat at medium-low once the cream and cheese go in.
