Rigatoni alla Vodka with Caramelized Tomato Paste & Pancetta

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A restaurant-caliber vodka sauce built the way the best Italian kitchens do it: pancetta rendered until its fat is liquid gold, then a full can of tomato paste fried in that fat until it turns brick-red and candy-sweet. Vodka deglazes and sharpens, cream smooths, and a fistful of torn basil goes in off the heat. The pasta finishes in the pan with its own starchy water so every rigatoni tube fills up with sauce. Chicken or shrimp add-ins included.

Ingredients

• 4 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 oz tomato paste (one small can)
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional, if tomato paste tastes sharp)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lb rigatoni or penne rigate
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to serve
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for searing the add-in)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily — about 2 tablespoons kosher salt per 4 quarts. Don't cook the pasta yet.
2. If using chicken or shrimp: pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high. Sear chicken 5–6 minutes total until golden and cooked to 165°F, or shrimp 90 seconds per side until just opaque. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Wipe the skillet lightly, leaving the browned bits.
3. In the same skillet over medium-low heat, combine the pancetta and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is crisp at the edges and has rendered its fat. Do not rush this — low and slow gets the fat out.
4. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more, just until fragrant.
5. Add the entire can of tomato paste. Spread it across the pan and cook over medium heat for 4–6 minutes, stirring and scraping constantly. The paste will darken from bright red to a deep brick color and start to stick and caramelize on the pan bottom. That fond is the whole recipe — keep going until it smells sweet and roasted, not raw.
6. Pour in the vodka. It will hiss and seize the paste into a thick mass. Scrape hard with a wooden spoon to lift every bit of fond, then simmer 2–3 minutes until the harsh alcohol smell burns off and the mixture looks glossy.
7. Stir in the heavy cream, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the black pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently 5 minutes until the sauce is a uniform pale orange and coats a spoon. Taste — if it reads sharp, add the 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
8. Meanwhile, drop the rigatoni into the boiling water and cook 2 minutes short of the package's al dente time (usually 9–10 minutes). Before draining, scoop out 2 cups of pasta water.
9. Drain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet with 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Raise heat to medium and toss or stir constantly for 2–3 minutes; the pasta finishes cooking and the starch emulsifies the sauce into something that clings.
10. Kill the heat. Add the cold butter cubes and the Parmigiano in three additions, tossing vigorously between each so the cheese melts into the sauce rather than clumping. Loosen with more pasta water, a splash at a time, until the sauce flows and coats but doesn't pool.
11. Fold in the torn basil and, if using, the reserved chicken or shrimp along with any juices on the plate. Taste and adjust salt.
12. Serve immediately in warmed bowls with extra grated Parmigiano and a few whole basil leaves on top. Vodka sauce waits for no one — it tightens as it sits.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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