Gigi Hadid Pasta Recipe
When Gigi Hadid's Pasta Recipe went viral, it blew up Instagram and Tik Tok! Does it live up to the hype?! Absolutely! This creamy, spicy vodka sauce is restaurant-quality and such a cinch to make! This is Gigi's exact recipe from Instagram (I just doubled it) and you can make this recipe with or without vodka!
Ingredients
- 1 lb shell pasta + 1 cup starchy cooking liquid
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 small red onion, diced (about 1 cup) 1 shallot, white or yellow onion work, too!
- 2 cloves garlic, minced the best garlic chopper!
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 2 tbsp vodka See Note 1 for substitutions
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + more to taste
- 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste! make sure you TASTE, you may need to add more salt!
- chopped basil, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: In a large pot of water, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining (you may not need all of this, but I always reserve 1 cup).
- Cook Onions and Garlic: While pasta is cooking, over medium heat, add olive oil to a large pan. When the oil is hot, add onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir often so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add Tomato Paste: Add tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Tomato paste will turn a slightly darker color.
- Add Vodka (if using): Add vodka and cook for 1 minute. To make this dish without vodka simply omit this step OR use one of the substitutions listed in Note 1.
- Add Heavy Cream: Add heavy cream and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often until sauce thickens (it will thicken up quickly!).
- Stir in Pasta: Add in your pasta, 1/2 cup of pasta water and butter. Stir, stir, stir until butter is "melted and saucy" according to Gigi! Make sure the pasta is completely coated in the sauce. Add a little more pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
- Finish: Stir in Parmesan cheese. Make sure you TASTE and season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1: Substitutions for vodka in this sauce:
- Omit the vodka completely. Vodka gives the dish a slight acidic note that is delish, but to be honest, if you leave it out, the dish is just as amazing!
- Equal Parts Lime/Lemon Juice + Apple/Grape Juice: Vodka just adds a bit of acid to this dish that is subtle but delish! You can recreate that "acid" with equal parts of lemon or lime juice mixed with apple or grape juice.
Nutrition
Calories: 820kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 28gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 606mgPotassium: 528mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7.4gVitamin D: 20µgCalcium: 544mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!