Spicy vodka pasta, topped with creamy burrata, bold chili crisp, and fresh basil. This meal is quick enough to be a weeknight dinner, but fun enough for a date night at home or dinner party with friends. Try this out for your next pasta night, or any time you need a fresh, comforting meal.
Fusion foods are my favorite foods, and I love to pair complimentary ingredients from different cuisines together. Asian chili crisp is a beloved spicy condiment, and it's the perfect compliment to the creamy burrata to make sure this dish stays true to it's "spicy" title. It adds some depth of flavor to this vodka pasta and makes this classic dish feel new again.
Spicy vodka pasta has been having a moment in the spotlight after Gigi Hadid's pasta recipe went viral on social media. The spicy vodka sauce in that recipe is pretty similar to mine, using red chili flakes, vodka, garlic, parmesan, and tomato paste. Gigi's recipe uses heavy cream, which I swap with half-and-half since this dish is topped with burrata.
How to Make Spicy Vodka Pasta:
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full recipe.
- Optional, warm the burrata: Remove the burrata balls from their package and submerge them in a bowl of warm water. As you cook, replace the cooled water with new warm water for best results.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, cook pasta per package directions for al dente while you prepare the sauce. (I use trottole pasta but you can use any short pasta shape like penne pasta or shell pasta.)
- Meanwhile, combine the corn starch and half-and-half and mix until fully dissolved and set aside. The corn starch helps to prevent the sauce from breaking.
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the diced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and starting to crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan with the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 1 more minute.
- Next, add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste has darkened and caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. (This is easiest with a flat whisk)
- Add the vodka to deglaze the pan and mix until most of the moisture is gone, another 2-3 minutes. Then add the half-and-half and corn starch mixture, and whisk together until simmering, about 2 more minutes. (You can use chicken broth, vegetable broth, white wine, or even just water in place of the vodka if desired. It will lose a little flavor but you'll still end up with a great creamy sauce!)
- Once the sauce is simmering, remove it from the heat and add the grated parmesan cheese and mix until fully incorporated. Add salt to taste, it will need at least an ⅛th teaspoon per batch. If needed, add a little more half-and-half (or sub milk or water) to reduce the thickness of the sauce.
- Add the drained, cooked pasta to the skillet and mix until it's fully coated.
- Plate the pasta into the serving dishes, then top with the burrata, gently tearing the burrata open to expose the inside. Season the burrata with a little salt, and top with chili crisp (optional) or a little bit of olive oil or chili oil. Garnish with the fresh basil and serve immediately.
Key Tips - Spicy Vodka Pasta with Burrata
Warm up the burrata.
- Burrata is better when served warm, rather than cold from the fridge. To warm up the burrata, drain the balls from the fluid they're packed in and soak them in warm water as you prepare the rest of the dish. As the water cools, occasionally replace it with fresh warm water.
Do not use pre-grated Parmesan cheese.
- For best results, grate the cheese yourself. Sometimes pre-grated cheese will have trouble melting down into a sauce like this. Store bought pre-shredded parmesean is a better choice than powered cheese if you don't want to grate it yourself.
The cornstarch is our “pasta water”.
- Most pasta sauce recipes call for using some of the pasta water in the sauce. Pasta water has starch in it from the pasta, and this helps the sauce thicken and stick to the pasta. A little bit of cornstarch dissolved in water or cream will also do the trick, and actually give us better and more consistent results than using pasta water.
Check out my guide on freezing fresh garlic to save some time in the kitchen.
- If you're looking for the convenience of pre-minced garlic, but the flavor of fresh garlic, freezing your own minced garlic is a great option! You'll be surprised to find that the flavor of frozen garlic is nearly as good as fresh, without the sticky prep and clean-up. Read more about it here: How to Freeze Garlic.
Dietary Restrictions - Spicy Vodka Pasta with Burrata
This dish is naturally Vegetarian.
Make it Gluten-Free:
- Substitute the pasta for gluten-free pasta!
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. While this is listed as 4 servings, some people would prefer to have more than one serving. I typically serve this dish as 2 large dinner portions.
Spicy Vodka Pasta with Burrata
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried trottole pasta or short pasta such as penne
- 8 oz burrata I use 4 mini burrata balls per batch
- chili crisp optional, for topping burrata
- ~2 tablespoon fresh basil julienned
For Spicy Vodka Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 medium-sized shallots finely diced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes as written for mild spice, use more or less per your preference
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon vodka can sub white wine or chicken stock
- 1 ½ cup half-and-half half whole milk, half cream
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 oz good quality parmesan cheese finely grated, about ½ cup per batch
Instructions
- Optional, warm the burrata: Remove the burrata balls from their package and submerge them in a bowl of warm water. As you cook, replace the cooled water with new warm water for best results.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, cook the pasta per package instructions for al dente while you prepare the sauce.
- Meanwhile, combine the corn starch and half-and-half and mix until fully dissolved and set aside. The corn starch helps to prevent the sauce from breaking.
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the diced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and starting to crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan with the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 1 more minute.
- Next, raise the heat slightly and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste has darkened and caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. (This is easiest with a flat whisk)
- Add the vodka to deglaze the pan and mix until most of the moisture is gone, another 2-3 minutes. Then add the half-and-half and corn starch mixture, and whisk together until simmering, about 2 more minutes.
- Once the sauce is simmering, remove it from the heat and add the grated parmesan cheese and mix until fully incorporated. Add salt to taste, it will need at least an ⅛th teaspoon per batch. If needed, add a little more half-and-half (or sub milk or water) to reduce the thickness of the sauce.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and mix until it's fully coated.
- Plate the pasta into the serving dishes, then top with the burrata, gently tearing the burrata open to expose the inside. Season the burrata with a little salt, and top with chili crisp (optional) or a little bit of olive oil or chili oil. Garnish with the fresh basil and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Anonymous says
really good