I know we all religiously follow Gigi Hadid and watch all her Instagram stories- no? Just me? Okay well, if you are a fan of the supermodel- you might know that she has a signature dish- Spicy Vodka Pasta. I love a lot of things in this world- family, friends, cute dogs, and much more, but pasta is by far in the top three on that list. About a year ago, I decided to try the recipe for myself and see what all the hype was about. I followed Hadid’s Instagram story recipe to a tee and although the end result was absolutely mouth-watering, it was a tad too spicy for me.
I started a mission to fill my free time. I wanted my own “iconic” vodka pasta recipe. The kind that my family and friends obsess over and want me to make for all our gatherings. Let’s just say, I may have mastered my own recipe but it’s not as “iconic” as I’d like yet.
I grew up baking and no one in my family ever really cooked, so when it comes to cooking recipes, I like to eyeball things. It’s better if it’s made with love, right? In the recipe I’ll share below, there are no true measurements because honestly the fun in it is to try your best, have fun, and measure with love! Add more of what you love and less of what you don’t. Here is my soon to be “iconic” vodka pasta recipe. You’ll be surprised how easy it is!
Sarah Sommers’ “Iconic” Vodka Pasta
Servings:
Makes roughly one serving.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 spoonfuls of olive oil
3/4 spoonful of Spice World minced garlic
2.5 ounces of tomato paste
½ cup of heavy cream
Half of a travel size (50 ML) diluted vodka bottle
Dash of red pepper flakes
*NOTE: Honestly smaller than a dash because I am not a fan of spicy so add according to your liking
Desired serving of your choice of pasta
*NOTE: I am very passionate about my pasta and prefer a farfalle (bowtie), shell pasta, or penne pasta for this recipe but we all have favorite kinds so try whatever you want!
1 spoonful of butter
2 spoonfuls of parmesan cheese
*NOTE: Add the amount of cheese you feel fit, I usually add 2 spoonfuls
Basil seasoning (to serve)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions:
For the sauce:
Using a large saucepan, soak half of the bottom of the pan with olive oil and add the minced garlic. Move this mixture around with a rubber spatula until the garlic pieces are slightly darkened.
Add your tomato paste to the saucepan with the olive oil and garlic. I usually purchase a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and just empty out a little less than half of it into the saucepan. Fold the paste with the garlic and olive oil until it is a tad darker in color.
Add your heavy cream and vodka into the darker pasta mixture you’ve created. To be completely honest, I just add enough heavy cream that I feel is right for my appetite, this can be more or less than ½ cup. Continue to fold the heavy cream and vodka into the paste mixture.
At this time, if you want to add your desired amount of red pepper flakes, you can. I quite literally add two flakes in my sauce. In addition, add a dash of basil seasoning, salt, and pepper for taste.
Keep stirring/ folding the sauce. Your sauce should be a lighter color at this point. Once you feel it is all combined, remove the saucepan from the heat.
For the pasta:
Boil some water in a pot and add your pasta- you know how to cook pasta. I usually add enough pasta to fill the bowl I will be eating out of. Set a timer for 12 minutes and every minute or two, return to the pot and stir as you continue cooking the sauce.
It is important to save ¼ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
Once the pasta is drained (and you have saved your pasta water), put the pasta back into the pot and on the stove on medium heat. Add the butter and stir until the butter is fully melted.
You can now combine the sauce and leftover pasta water into the pot with the cooked pasta! Stir together until it is fully combined and the pasta is covered in sauce.
At this point, I stir in some parmesan cheese and another dash of salt and pepper.
To serve, I add a little more parmesan cheese and some basil seasoning on top!
And there ladies and gents is my special recipe and twist of Gigi Hadid’s pasta recipe. As you can clearly see, this recipe is meant to be specialized for yourself! Have some fun and make it your own, we all have different preferences and it’s important to make good food that we like!