Creamy Tomato Chilli Pasta
This creamy tomato pasta with a hint of smokeyness and a glorious hum of chilli, is your new weeknight go-to pasta that is so easy, delicious and comes together in about 20 minutes.
Creamy Tomato Chilli Pasta
Creamy Tomato Chilli Pasta
Creamy Tomato Chilli Pasta
This dish has gotten me out of many dinner jams. Why is it so good? It’s an overtly morish creamy tomato pasta with a hint of chilli, made out of pantry and fridge staples. Nothing fancy, just a few simple ingredients (you probably have them right now). Garlic, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, rich tomato paste, chipotles in adobo (not necessary but yum) sour cream and parmesan come together to make a simple dish that really delivers on flavour. I’ve cooked it on cosy winter nights, I’ve also cooked it during a heat wave, it’s that good, and that much of a mealtime lifesaver.
Dishes like this one stay on my cooking rotation year in year out, I'll never tire of simple, delicious pasta recipes. If you're like me, then you must check out my Posh pasta aglio e olio, Bucatini with cavolo nero and New school pasta puttanesca.
Yes, it'll still take delicious but it won't have as much of a smoky/spicy flavour.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water to season the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente (cooked but still firm to the bite). Once cooked, reserve 2 cups of pasta water, drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside.
In a large pan, heat the butter over medium heat until the butter melts and starts to sizzle. Add the diced garlic to the pan and sauté it gently for a couple of minutes until it becomes fragrant and slightly golden in colour.
Sprinkle the fennel seeds and smoked paprika into the pan with the garlic. Stir the spices for about 30 seconds to release their flavors. Add the tomato paste and chipotle to the pan and mix it well with the garlic and spices, creating a flavourful base for the sauce
Turn the heat right down to low, add pasta water and spoon in the sour cream and blend it with the other ingredients in the pan until you get a creamy and well-combined mixture.
Gently simmer on low and let the sauce cook for about 5 minutes. Stir the sauce occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan and ensure all the flavours meld together.
Just before the pasta finishes cooking, add one cup of the pasta water to the sauce. The starchy pasta water will help bind the sauce and create a creamy consistency. Grate in the parmesan cheese, add chilli flakes (optional) and stir until it's fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
Add the drained and cooked pasta to the sauce in the pan. Stir the pasta thoroughly, ensuring the pasta is coated with the creamy sauce. Let the pasta and sauce come to a light simmer for about 30 seconds to allow the flavors to infuse.
Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls. Generously, sprinkle extra parmesan cheese and chili flakes on top for added flavor and a touch of heat. Enjoy!
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water to season the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente (cooked but still firm to the bite). Once cooked, reserve 2 cups of pasta water, drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside.
In a large pan, heat the butter over medium heat until the butter melts and starts to sizzle. Add the diced garlic to the pan and sauté it gently for a couple of minutes until it becomes fragrant and slightly golden in colour.
Sprinkle the fennel seeds and smoked paprika into the pan with the garlic. Stir the spices for about 30 seconds to release their flavors. Add the tomato paste and chipotle to the pan and mix it well with the garlic and spices, creating a flavourful base for the sauce
Turn the heat right down to low, add pasta water and spoon in the sour cream and blend it with the other ingredients in the pan until you get a creamy and well-combined mixture.
Gently simmer on low and let the sauce cook for about 5 minutes. Stir the sauce occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan and ensure all the flavours meld together.
Just before the pasta finishes cooking, add one cup of the pasta water to the sauce. The starchy pasta water will help bind the sauce and create a creamy consistency. Grate in the parmesan cheese, add chilli flakes (optional) and stir until it's fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
Add the drained and cooked pasta to the sauce in the pan. Stir the pasta thoroughly, ensuring the pasta is coated with the creamy sauce. Let the pasta and sauce come to a light simmer for about 30 seconds to allow the flavors to infuse.
Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls. Generously, sprinkle extra parmesan cheese and chili flakes on top for added flavor and a touch of heat. Enjoy!
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Creamy Tomato Chilli Pasta
- 400g rigatoni
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 50g butter
- 4 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup of tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp chipotles in adobo
- 200g sour cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese + extra to garnish
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Cook pasta according to packet instructions
- Add butter to a pan on medium heat, add garlic and gently fry for a couple of minutes until the garlic has a little colour
- Add fennel seeds and smoked paprika, fry for a few seconds, then add the tomato paste and chipotle. Stir to combine it into the garlic and spices
- Turn the heat to low, then add 1 cup of pasta water and sour cream. Stir to combine then allow it to gently simmer on low for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Just before the pasta is done, add one cup of pasta water to the sauce, along with the parmesan cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and taste, balance the flavours
- Add the drained, cooked pasta to the sauce and stir through, let it come to a light simmer for about 30 seconds
- Serve into bowls, topping generously with more parmesan cheese and chilli flakes if you wish.