Spicy Rigatoni with Sausage and Pancetta
Serves 4 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 25 minutes · Total: about 40 minutes
This is vodka sauce with more going on: pancetta up front, hot Italian sausage for weight, red-pepper flakes for the kick the name promises. Keep some pasta water in reserve — the sauce should coat the rigatoni, not pool underneath it.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or ½ teaspoon for more heat
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup vodka
- ¾ cup plain tomato sauce or passata
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 basil leaves, torn
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Boil the water
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water lightly; the pancetta and cheese will add more salt later.
- 2
Cook the pancetta
Put the pancetta in a large skillet and set it over medium heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the skillet.
- 3
Brown the sausage
Add the sausage to the skillet. Break it into small, uneven chunks with a wooden spoon and cook for about 5 minutes, until browned and no longer pink.
- 4
Cook the rigatoni
Add the rigatoni to the boiling water. Cook it for 2 minutes less than the time listed on the package.
- 5
Add the garlic and pepper flakes
Lower the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Stir for about 30 seconds, stopping before the garlic begins to brown.
- 6
Add the tomato paste
Add the tomato paste. Stir it into the sausage and cook for 2 minutes, until it darkens from bright red to a deeper brick color.
- 7
Deglaze with vodka
Pour in the vodka. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with the spoon and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked away.
- 8
Add the tomato sauce
Stir in the tomato sauce. Keep it at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
- 9
Reserve pasta water and drain
Before draining the pasta, scoop out about 1½ cups of the cooking water. Drain the rigatoni without rinsing it.
- 10
Combine the pasta and sauce
Stir the cream into the sauce. Add the rigatoni and ½ cup of pasta water. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and coated in sauce.
- 11
Finish with butter and cheese
Turn off the heat. Add the butter, grated cheese, most of the pancetta, and half the basil. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted.
- 12
Adjust the consistency
Check the consistency. Add a little more pasta water when the sauce looks too thick or dry. It should coat the rigatoni without leaving a large pool in the skillet.
- 13
Season and serve
Taste before adding salt. Season with black pepper, then divide among bowls. Top with the remaining pancetta, basil, and grated cheese.
Recipe notes
Cook’s notes
- No pancetta: use thick-cut bacon, though the flavor will be smokier.
- Less heat: use sweet Italian sausage and omit the red-pepper flakes.
- No passata: plain canned tomato sauce works without any other changes.
Swaps & substitutions
- No vodka: replace it with ¼ cup water.
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