Spicy Rigatoni

The base of the sauce is an onion soubise, an easy, three-ingredient French sauce where the onions are cooked over a long period of time at a low heat until they are tender and flavorful.

Course pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword calabrian chili, carbone, chili, dupe, New York, rigatoni, spicy

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Servings

Calories 584kcal

Ingredients

2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt, as needed
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound rigatoni (or penne, lumache or pipe rigate)
Grated Parmesan, for serving, as desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the butter, ½ cup of water and the onions to the pan. Continue to simmer the onions over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are tender, about 1½ hours. Season with salt then set aside and let cool.
In a large pot over medium heat add the olive oil and heat through. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, just a few seconds.
Add the tomato paste, the tomatoes and sugar, stirring to combine. Let simmer for 15 minutes, breaking up any large pieces of tomato. Season to taste with salt.
Add the onion mixture to the pot and stir to combine then whisk in the cream, chili paste and chili flakes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the salt and bring back to the boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water then drain, and return the pasta to the pot.
Ladle the sauce over the top and toss to combine, cooking for an additional minute. If the sauce is too thick, add the pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time to thin the sauce.
Serve the spicy rigatoni hot in warmed pasta bowls topped with grated Parmesan (optional).

Video

Nutrition