Tomato Gochujang Cream Pasta
A spicy, rich, delicious pasta dish made with tomatoes and Gochujang (Red Pepper Paste). The Korean twist on this pasta dish will have you asking for seconds.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes 10-12 ounces
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 2-3 tablespoons gochujang Korean red chile paste, depending on your spice preference
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 T Honey or Agave Syrup to taste
Pasta
- 8 ounces dry rigatoni pasta shape of choice, should be able to stand up to a thick sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cherry tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until they soften and begin to burst.
- While tomatoes are roasting, prepare sauce. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat and add minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and gochujang to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste and gochujang caramelize. It will begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pot in places, so reduce the heat if they begin to burn.
- Add the heavy cream and chicken broth and bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken and the tomato paste and gochujang are fully dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the Parmesan and several generous cranks of freshly ground black pepper. Season the sauce with salt to taste and a couple drizzles of honey.
- Continue to reduce the sauce until it thickens, about 5 minutes, then gently stir in the roasted tomatoes.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some pasta water to thin the sauce if it seems a little thick.
- Drain the pasta, then toss it in the warm sauce and serve immediately with a few more cranks of black pepper and Parmesan Cheese. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley or basil.
Notes
Note: Though the recipe calls for 8 ounces of dried pasta, it is a generous amount of sauce. It is enough sauce for 16 ounces of dried pasta, IMO.