Creamy Tomato & Gochujang Rigatoni
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This one’s a weeknight pasta that feels like a little hug. It’s spicy. It’s creamy. It’s a whole mood. The secret? A hit of gochujang brings the heat, balanced by jammy roasted cherry tomatoes and a swirl of cream to mellow it all out. It’s rich, punchy and exactly the kind of dish that makes rigatoni the star of the show.
What is Creamy Tomato & Gochujang Rigatoni?
It’s an Italian-Korean fusion pasta where rigatoni pasta is coated in a spicy tomato-based sauce made with roasted cherry tomatoes,
gochujang
(Korean chilli paste), tomato paste, garlic and cream. The result? A creamy, umami-loaded dish with the perfect amount of heat.
What’s the deal with pasta water?
Don’t skip the pasta water! That starchy, salty liquid is liquid gold. It helps emulsify the sauce and cling to the pasta like a dream. Just half a cup is enough to thicken the sauce beautifully while keeping it glossy.
Special Ingredient Notes
Gochujang
is a fermented Korean chilli paste. It adds depth, sweetness and a kick of heat. It’s different from regular chilli sauce because it’s fermented, which gives it that umami-rich backbone
Cherry tomatoes
work best here because they roast into sweet, blistered pockets of flavour that melt into the sauce.
White wine
lifts the whole thing with acidity and brightness, so don’t skip it (and yes, you can sip the rest while cooking).
What You Need
cherry tomatoes
olive oil
rigatoni pasta
garlic
tomato paste
gochujang
white wine
cream
butter
parmesan cheese
Steps
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
Place the tomatoes in a roasting dish and drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until blistered.
Cook the rigatoni pasta until just al dente (follow the packet instructions). Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Then drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in
a pan
over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste and gochujang, then let it cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
Add in the roasted tomatoes and pour in the wine. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes melt down into a saucy consistency.
Add in the cooked rigatoni and toss everything together. Pour in the reserved pasta water and shake the pan for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken and evenly coats the pasta.
Stir in the cream and simmer for another 2 minutes or until the sauce is rich and velvety. Add the butter and toss it through until melted.
Divide the pasta between
serving plates
. Grate over a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve hot.
Marion’s Kitchen Tip
If your sauce looks too thick before adding the cream, loosen it with an extra splash of pasta water. That silky finish is all about balance.
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Creamy Tomato & Gochujang Rigatoni
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PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
30 minutes
SERVES
2
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Ingredients
500g cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
250g rigatoni pasta
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp Korean gochujang
½ cup white wine
1 cup cream
20g butter
Parmesan cheese, to serve
Instructions
1
Time to preheat
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
2
Roast the tomatoes
Place the tomatoes in a roasting dish and drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until blistered.
3
Cook the pasta
Cook the rigatoni pasta until just al dente (follow the packet instructions). Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Then drain and set aside.
4
Start the sauce base
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste and gochujang, then let it cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
5
Simmer with wine and tomatoes
Add in the roasted tomatoes and pour in the wine. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes melt down into a saucy consistency.
6
Add pasta and pasta water
Add in the cooked rigatoni and toss everything together. Pour in the reserved pasta water and shake the pan for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken and evenly coats the pasta.
7
Stir in cream and butter
Stir in the cream and simmer for another 2 minutes or until the sauce is rich and velvety. Add the butter and toss it through until melted.
8
Serve
Divide the pasta between serving plates. Grate over a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve hot.
Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or cream to loosen the sauce.
