Delicious Spinach Vodka Sauce Recipe with Rigatoni

I was scrolling Instagram for some food recipe inspiration, and came across @the_pastaqueen in the explore page. She just featured Gigi Hadid’s simple easy to make vodka sauce recipe, and it was SO easy. It showed up as a video tutorial in 4 easy steps and I knew I had the ingredients: vodka, tomato paste, garlic, onion, and I added in mushrooms and spinach. I just love sauteed garlic spinach on any pasta, it is deeeelish and a heathy addition if you want some subtle greens thrown in there.

Here’s how you make this delicious pasta sauce:

1. Heat a pot with olive oil
2. Chop up one red onion into small pieces and crush 2-3 big cloves of garlic and add it to the pot, stirring occasionally
3. After 2-3 minutes, add in small bella mushrooms, the whole box of it. I get mine from Whole Foods. I just have loved mushrooms so much in quarantine they make every dish delicious.
4. Pour in 2 cups of light cream (to keep the dish from being extremely heavy… I chose light cream instead of heavy cream).
5. Now add 1 can of tomato paste and keep stirring
6. Time for the vodka! Add about 1.5 cups of vodka to the boiling hot dish and the vodka distills while adding a delicious flavor.
7. Add red hot chili flakes, a cup of green peas, a bag of spinach and you’re almost done!
8. Cook the pasta in a separate pot, reserve a cup of the pasta water so you can use it for the sauce. And then ta-da!!!
9. Pour the cooked pasta into the vodka sauce pot and add grated parmesan and fresh basil. You’re ready to serve it up!!

Hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did last night. Oh side note, I always add about a tablespoon of brown sugar when I’m cooking with tomato based sauces. It’s something my mother taught me and I do it everytime to this day. It adds a sweetness flavor but doesn’t overwhelm. The dish was still very spicy and creamy.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! Enjoy!

x,G