Creamy, spicy red pepper pasta alla gin

A sweeter, sultrier cousin to pasta alla vodka, ready in less than 30

Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

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Hi friends. Lately, all I want to eat is pasta. Bucatini coated in creamy, zesty limone. Short, perfectly chewy cascarecce swimming in meaty tomato sauce. Marcella Hazan’s buttery tomato sauce on whatever pasta I have on hand. And every shape and sauce in between!

But one pasta I’ve become especially obsessed with as of late is pasta alla vodka. Rich and creamy but still tangy and, of course, that hint of spice that keeps you coming back for more. I just can’t get enough.

Which is why I started experimenting with the recipe. I am who I am, after all, so I decided to make some tweaks to make it my own. That started with using Middle Eastern red pepper paste, which led to me adding in actual red bell peppers and using gin instead of vodka because, well, I just like it more. (Although, honestly, you can use whatever alcohol — including wine — that you like).

Tell me more

The result is a pasta sauce that’s a bit like a more traditional vodka sauce, but a little sweeter, a little fresher, and a little more savory. The bell peppers give the sauce some extra weight and oomph while the red pepper paste adds a delicious depth of flavor and extra little whisper of spiciness.

It’s an easy little number with enough richness to make it holiday get-together-worthy and little enough time spent cooking to make it suitable for just about any night of the week you want a really good, really comforting bowl of pasta.

Before we start

• I used giant penne, but this sauce will taste great on whatever pasta shape you have or like.

• I found these giant penne at Home Goods, which is honestly one of my favorite spots for fun pasta shapes. I’ll see the exact same ones (brand, shape, everything) at local Italian shops for twice the price.

• When I’m cooking for two, I usually use what I call a “generous 1/2 package” of pasta. This is somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of the package, and is usually enough to feed three people but hey, we like big servings. This sauce recipe yields a very sauce “generous 1/2 package,” so you can feel free to up to 3/4 of the package and will still be left with glorious, sauce results.

• I usually start boiling my pasta water as I start cooking this sauce. By the time the pasta is al dente, we’re in good shape with the sauce and we can add the pasta in. If, for some reason, your sauce is done before your pasta, turn the heat off on the sauce, then turn it back on when you’re adding in your pasta.

• Red pepper paste is very common in Middle Eastern cooking and goes by a few different names depending on what country it was made in. There are mild and spicy versions available — I used spicy in this recipe. Mild will give you the flavors without the heat. You can find it at your local Middle Eastern market and, depending on where you live, your regular grocery store might even carry it. If not, look online. Sadaf and Tazah are a couple favorite brands.

• I like to use my Vitamix to blend this sauce because I find the high-speed blender aerates it a bit, making it even creamier. If you prefer, you can use a handheld immersion blender, too

  

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The recipe

Serves: 2-3

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: