Gigi Hadid’s spicy vodka pasta took the internet by storm in 2020 when she posted a tutorial on how to make her favorite pasta, and it’s just as delicious today. Learn how to make this easy pasta yourself with some healthier substitutions at home.
What is the famous Gigi Hadid pasta?
Not only is she known for her worldwide modeling gigs, but Gigi Hadid popularized a variety of a traditional Italian dish named penne alla vodka. Some people claim that vodka sauce originated in New York during the 1970s by Chef Luigi Franzese, others state that it was made in Italy during the same era by the restaurant Dante in Bologna. To this day, the origins of this pasta are still somewhat of an urban legend.
This specific recipe contains tomato sauce, cream, vodka, parmesan, garlic, and fresh shallots. In 2020, Gigi Hadid went viral for her spicy vodka version of this dish that included red pepper flakes. Many popular restaurants, like Carbone, are also well-known for their version of spicy vodka rigatoni–where Hadid frequented.
Spicy vodka sauce ingredients
The Gigi Hadid spicy vodka sauce includes fresh shallots, fragrant garlic, concentrated tomato paste, vodka, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, butter, and parmesan. While it’s a spicy vodka sauce, only one teaspoon of red pepper flakes makes it a very mild spice level. If you want more spiciness, you can certainly add more.
Type of pasta to use
In Gigi Hadid’s Instagram story, she uses orecchiette pasta, which is a great shape to hold the spicy vodka sauce. I’ve also used rigatoni for this pasta sauce, which works great because the ridges hold the thick sauce well.
Is the Gigi Hadid pasta healthy?
Many of the ingredients in the Gigi Hadid pasta are full-fat heavy cream and heavier in calories so I would make this dish for special occasions like larger parties. To reduce the amount of calories and fat, you can substitute the heavy cream with half and half and reduce the amount of butter to half a tablespoon.
Can you make Gigi Hadid pasta without tomato paste?
If you don’t have tomato paste on hand, you can use tomato sauce with a 1:2 ratio; just remember to cook down the tomato sauce until it’s thicker. This means using two tablespoons of tomato sauce for every tablespoon of tomato paste that the recipe calls for.
What can you substitute for heavy cream in vodka sauce?
If you want a healthier version of the Gigi Hadid pasta, use half and half instead of full heavy cream for the vodka sauce. However, note that the pasta might be a little more watery, so add two tablespoons of pasta water instead of ¼ cup of pasta water.
What to serve with this pasta
I always like to balance out heavy pasta dishes with fresh side dishes like Caesar salad, sauteed green beans, cold broccolini salad with dressing, crispy Brussels sprouts, and veggie kabobs. If you want some protein for this pasta, it goes well with smoked chicken thighs, crispy chicken katsu, and smoked turkey breast.
Gigi Hadid Spicy Vodka Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 c filtered water
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 c rigatoni
Sauce
- ¼ c olive oil
- ⅓ c shallots chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ c tomato paste
- 1 tbsp vodka
- ½ c heavy cream
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes add more if you like it spicy
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ c grated parmesan plus more for topping
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- sliced basil for topping
Equipment Used
- knife and cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- large pot
- Strainer
- saute pan
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until slightly chewy or al dente. For rigatoni, it’s about 15 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water. Drain the rest of the pasta without rinsing.
- In a saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and shallots. Cook for one minute until softened.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional one minute until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and vodka. Stir until both are incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream and red pepper flakes and stir again.
- Add the pasta into the sauce, ¼ cup of reserved pasta water, butter, and parmesan. Stir to combine until butter is fully melted.
- Season with salt and pepper and taste test the sauce.
- To serve, sprinkle more parmesan and sliced basil.
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