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April 7, 2026
Cortney LaCorte
  1. Recipes
  2. Dinner

How to Make Spicy Rigatoni Alla Vodka

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Dinner

SPICY RIGATONI ALLA VODKA ??️

Stop what you’re doing. Go to the store and get all of the ingredients to make this for dinner tonight. UNBELIEVABLE??

This is Chris’ take on Arthur & Son’s spicy rigatoni dish in NYC (which is one of our favorite places to go when we’re in the city, btw!) and it doesn’t disappoint. Recipe below!

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz of rigatoni (Bronze Cut)
5 Tbsp double concentrated tomato paste(mutti)
3 cups of heavy cream
1 shallot, sliced
8 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp Calabrian chili paste
1/4 cup of chopped speck or prosciutto
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup vodka
1 chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano, for shaving 
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook Along With A Video:

DIRECTIONS
Add plenty of water to a stock pot to cover and cook pasta. Add salt to reach the salinity of sea water. Set burner to high heat.

In a stainless steel sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot, garlic, and speck(or prosciutto) with salt and pepper until the garlic begins to brown. Do not let garlic burn.

Add tomato paste and Calabrian chili paste. Mix to combine and stir until the tomato paste slightly darkens.


Carefully add vodka and deglaze(scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.) Add cream. Reduce the sauce by simmering over medium heat until thickened and a scraped spatula across the bottom of the pan briefly reveals the pan before the sauce covers it.
While sauce is reducing, add pasta to boiling water. Cook 1 minute less than the package says.

Once sauce has been reduced, add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce, and stir in Pecorino Romano. Add salt and pepper to taste. If needed, add pasta water to thin out the sauce.

Plate pasta, and Add fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.

Optional: Add a spoonful of Calabrian chili paste over pasta if desired.

Enjoy!

Cortney

Cortney LaCorte

Cortney LaCorte is the creator of CheeseGal, a food and entertaining blog born in her Nashville kitchen that celebrates cheese, charcuterie and joyful gatherings

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Recipe Rating




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  1. Carmen Herndon
    January 28, 2024
    Reply

    Hey Girl,
    I’m new at following. Where do you live??

  2. Ryssa Fleischer
    August 27, 2026
    Reply

    The spicy Calabrian alla vodka pasta was AMAZING!!!! It’s a perfect combination of heat, cheese, saltiness and a hint of sweetness from Calabrian sauce. Again, amazing!! THANK YOU!

Instagram

Where the magic happens

Pepper Jelly and Boursin Dip 🌶️ Keep this 3 ingre Pepper Jelly and Boursin Dip 🌶️

Keep this 3 ingredient app in your back pocket next time you need something quick, easy and DELISH! You can make so many variations of this by just swapping out the toppings. 

2 rounds of Garlic & Herb Boursin
1 jar pepper jelly 
Minced chives
Cheesy French Onion Pasta with (or without) Mushro Cheesy French Onion Pasta with (or without) Mushrooms

All the rich, savory flavors of French onion soup, but make it a cheesy, bubbling pasta bake. Caramelized onions, mushrooms, a creamy mascarpone sauce, and LOTS of Gruyère. I mean, what more could you want?!

INGREDIENTS:

Kosher salt
1 lb dried ziti pasta
2 tbsp olive oil (love Juice @foodbymaria )!
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh)
½ cup white wine
2 cups beef broth (not low-sodium)
8 oz mascarpone
1 lb Gruyère, grated (about 4 cups), divided
8 oz low-moisture mozzarella, chopped
Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until just al dente (about 2 minutes less than package directions), 8–9 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and increase heat to high. Cook without stirring for 5 minutes, until beginning to brown. Season with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 12 minutes.

Add butter and let melt. Stir in flour, garlic, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add white wine and cook until almost completely reduced, about 30 seconds.

Add beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in mascarpone until creamy. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in 1 cup Gruyère and the drained pasta, tossing to coat. Top with remaining Gruyère and mozzarella.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, until bubbly and melted. Let cool for 5 minutes, garnish with parsley, and DIG IN!

PRO TIP: The secret to beautifully caramelized onions? Patience! If they’re browning too quickly or sticking to the skillet, add a splash of water or even beef broth and stir to loosen those delicious browned bits. You’re looking for soft, sweet, golden-brown onions, not blackened or crispy ones! (Take it from me 🫠)
Fall Appetizer: Jam + Ritz Baked Brie The best p Fall Appetizer: Jam + Ritz Baked Brie 

The best part is you can use whatever jam is on hand! Think: fig, apricot, cherry - could even go savory and do onion jam! Whatever! Make this and report back. It’s a good one to have in your back pocket.

INGREDIENTS:
8 ounce Brie cheese wheel 
2 tablespoons of whatever jam/preserves (I used fig)
Coarsely ground pepper
8 @ritzcrackers , crushed, plus more crackers for serving
1 tablespoon olive oil
Flaky salt and chopped fresh rosemary, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Using a sharp knife, make 4 parallel cuts on one flat side of the cheese, cutting just through the rind but not much deeper. Turn the cheese 90° degrees and make 4 more parallel cuts. 

Cut a round of parchment a little larger than the brie. Place the parchment in the bottom of a small baking sheet or oven-safe skillet. Put the brie on the parchment, scored side up, on top. 

Spread the jam/preserves on top of the brie and season with pepper. In a small bowl, combine the crushed crackers and olive oil and stir until the crumbs are coated in oil. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs on top of the jam.

Transfer the brie to the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes (keeping a close eye that your Brie doesn’t completely melt like mine lol) until the cheese is warm and the cracker crumbs are lightly toasted. 

Transfer the cheese to a serving plate. Sprinkle the cheese with chopped rosemary and flaky salt and serve immediately with more crackers. 
That’s it!

#fyp #fall #appetizer
“Traffic is so bad RN” “Traffic is so bad RN”
Spiced Pear & Rosemary Gin Sour 🍐🍸 Fresh pear, ro Spiced Pear & Rosemary Gin Sour 🍐🍸

Fresh pear, rosemary, warm spices, and gin shaken into a deliciously frothy little chic fall cocktail!!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 oz gin
½ ripe pear, peeled, cored + chopped
1 oz fresh lemon juice (maybe even more if you want it super tart)
¾ oz elderflower liqueur
¼ oz honey syrup
1 egg white
1 sprig fresh rosemary
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger
Ice
Fresh pear slice + rosemary sprig, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

First, make your honey syrup right in the shaker! Add a little honey and an equal amount of warm tap water, stirring until dissolved. Add the chopped pear, lemon juice, and rosemary and muddle until the pear is nice and juicy. Add the gin, elderflower liqueur, cinnamon, ginger, and egg white. Shake vigorously WITHOUT ice for about 15 seconds to create that gorgeous froth! Add ice and shake again until nice and cold. Double strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled coupe, gently pressing to extract all that pear juice. Garnish with a fresh pear slice and sprig of rosemary. CHEERS!!! 🍸

PRO TIP: The riper the pear, the better! You want one that’s soft, fragrant, and juicy enough to practically melt when muddled. Bartlett pears are especially good here.

And go VERY light on the cinnamon and ginger. We want a whisper of fall spice, not a cocktail that tastes like potpourri. 🤣
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