If you’re on tik tok you have probably already heard all about Gigi Hadids viral vodka pasta. If you’re not familiar let me just tell you that it is 100% worth the hype. This pasta is super simple to trow together and can easily fit various diets. Vodka pasta is naturally vegetarian, originating from Italy and closely resembling a dish called “Pasta Alla Vodka” which was popular in the 1980’s.
Adding the Vodka is completely optional in this dish and can be replaced with a splash of rum or even some apple cider vinegar. This recipe is not doubt popular because it checks all the boxes. It’s quick, flavourful, cheap, made with ingredients that are common in the pantry, and super customizable.
Ingredients for Adapted Vodka Pasta:
- 8 oz Orecchiette or shell pasta
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ red onion small diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vodka *optional
- Fresh basil leaves Use about 6 small leaves for the sauce and a few more for garnish.
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more for a spicier pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Tips & Tricks:
- Pasta Water: Reserve about half a cup of pasta water before draining your noodles. This can be used to help emulsify the sauce and make it even creamier.
- Cooking Sauce: Don’t over cook your sauce. The longer you let it simmer the more moisture it will loose and the ticker it will become. This will make it more difficult to get that glossy coating of sauce, it could also require adding a lot of pasta water or even extra cream to thin it out.
- Storage: If you have leftovers store them in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. The pasta will be noticeably less saucy when you reheat it though. To combat this try reheating the pasta in a pan over low heat with some added cream.
Gigi’s Original Recipe:
Back in 2020 Gigi released her “famous” spicy vodka pasta on her instagram stories. If you would like to see the original stories check out Grazia. She was pregnant at the time and craving all things pasta.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 small clove of garlic, diced
- ¼ red onion
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vodka
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 225 grams of shells pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Basil, chopped, to serve
- Salt and pepper to taste