Spicy Sungold Tomato Rigatoni

This spicy sungold tomato rigatoni is one of my favorite dishes to make when I have an abundance of cherry tomatoes. Think rigatoni tossed in a velvety smooth, roasted sungold tomato and Calabrian chili sauce, served with a shower of grated Parmesan cheese. 

This sungold cherry tomato pasta is a showstopping but effortless dish that uses just a few basic ingredients (onion, garlic, pasta, etc.). It’s a great weeknight dish to take advantage of peak Sungold tomato season.

Sungold Tomato Rigatoni Ingredients

• Mezze Maniche or rigatoni: Love the mezze maniche from Frankies 457 (it’s basically a small version of rigatoni) – but regular rigatoni also works great.
• Sungold cherry tomatoes: An elite cherry tomato hybrid; it’s fruity, sweet, and yields a gorgeous, golden sauce.
• Sweet white onions: I used Vidalia sweet onions, but any sweet onion variety will work here. Sweet onions have a milder, less pungent flavor and contain more sugar compared to white or yellow onions, making them perfect for caramelizing. 
• Garlic
• Milk: To keep this dairy-free, I used my house blend milk, but regular milk also works here.
• Calabrian chili in oil: Calabrian chilies are native to the Calabria region in Italy (hence their name); they’re spicy, fruity, and great for adding heat and depth to Italian-inspired dishes. I love getting jarred chopped Calabrian chilies in oil: Divina Market and Bono are two brands that are available at most stores. Bono is a tad spicier than the Divina Market version.
• Butter: To keep this vegan, use olive oil.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Method 

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can use a toaster oven at 450°F convection.

Add the whole Sungold cherry tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to the sheet pan, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and kosher salt, and toss together. Roast for 22-25 minutes until the cherry tomatoes are burst and slightly charred. 

Cook the pasta until al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and drain. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the pot and toss the cooked pasta in the melted butter. Cover and set aside. 

Pop the garlic out of its skin, and add to a blender, along with the cherry tomatoes and onions (plus all the juices), the milk, Calabrian chili, and salt. Blend on low, slowly ramping the speed up to high; blend for a total of 2 minutes until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust for salt as needed. Strain the sauce through a sieve over a bowl (optional, but highly recommended). Straining the sauce yields a much smoother, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta better.

Pour all the sauce over the cooked pasta, along with a generous splash of pasta water. Heat the pasta over medium-low heat, toss to coat the pasta, adding pasta water as needed, until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the noodles. Feel free to add a small amount of grated Parmesan when tossing the pasta; it’ll make the sauce coat the pasta even better.

Serving Suggestions & Notes 

• I wanted to note that you can make this sauce in a pot instead of roasting the tomatoes and aromatics. Simply start by adding the onion and tomato to a large saucier-style pot with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst and the onion is softened and starting to caramelize. Roughly chop the garlic and add it at the tail end of cooking the tomatoes and onion. Then follow the recipe instructions as stated. 
• Love serving this pasta with a drizzle of the oil from the Calabrian chilies, plus a shower of grated parmesan cheese.
• If you’re a big pasta lover like me, this recipe serves two (larger) portions, or you can stretch it to serve 3-4 people.

Can’t wait for you to make this pasta, it’s incredible! Please leave a starred rating and review, love hearing your feedback.

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