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We Made Carbone’s Signature Spicy Rigatoni Vegan, Here’s the Recipe

Hailey Welch
|Updated May 26, 2020

Before making the switch to veganism, there was one dish I thought I could not live without: Spicy Rigatoni from Carbone in New York. It's creamy, buttery, rich, and the pasta is cooked perfectly al dente. It's a classic dish at Carbone and when you're at the restaurant and look around, each table has at least one order of the dish, if not two. You can ask them to make it without the cream and butter, which was a very nice gesture but it ended up tasting like pasta with marina sauce, and after all the main ingredients are heavy cream, thick butter, and vodka (thankfully that's vegan).

So instead of dreaming about the taste, I decided to put my cooking skills to the test and make a vegan version using Miyokos butter and coconut cream. At first, I thought the coconut cream may not work because the coconut flavor could overwhelm the tomatoes and garlic, but to my surprise, it only added to the texture and the flavor of the cream remained subtle. Carbone lover or not, add this recipe to your menu for pasta night and enjoy a glass of red wine with the meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Why we love it: There's something about vodka sauce that makes it so desirable and addicting. This recipe is lighter in texture but rich in taste. Save the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Make it for: A pasta dinner and top with vegan cheese, basil, pepper, and chili flakes for extra spice.

Carbone's Signature Spicy Rigatoni Vegan

Serves 5-6 people

Ingredients

Spicy Vodka Sauce

  • 3 tbsp Miyokos Creamery vegan butter
  • 1 small Onion, diced
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 tbs of tomato paste
  • 1 can (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes whole
  • 1 cup of Titos Vodka
  • 1 cup coconut cream
  • 1 lb pasta of your choice, I used rigatoni

Instructions

  1. Over low heat, add half the butter and olive oil to the pain.
  2. Sautee onions until translucent.
  3. In a separate large pan over medium heat, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and sauté until tender, around 5 minutes.
  4. Add the onion mixture. Pour in the tomatoes, cream, and vodka and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
  5. While the sauce is simmering, boil water in a pot and cook your pasta until it’s al dente.
  6. Drain the pasta and save a little bit of the pasta water.
  7. Add the pasta to the sauce and serve! Top with fresh chopped basil!
  8. Add Vegan Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

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