Spaghettini Alla Carrettiera

A fiery, creamy vodka pasta sauce tossed with thin spaghettini. Fresh tomatoes simmer with garlic, olive oil, and a generous hit of dried chili, get passed through a food mill for a silky-smooth texture, then finish with cream and vodka.

The food mill step is what separates this from a rustic tomato sauce. Skins, seeds, and garlic solids all get left behind, giving you a refined, velvety base that the cream blends into seamlessly. The vodka goes in with the cream and reduces down, which concentrates the tomato flavor and adds a subtle sharpness you can’t get any other way.

Spaghettini is thinner than regular spaghetti and cooks fast. Watch it closely and pull it at al dente. Overcooked thin pasta turns to mush and can’t stand up to a sauce this bold.

Pro Tips

• Use ripe, in-season tomatoes for the best flavor. Off-season? Good canned San Marzano tomatoes work better than pale winter tomatoes.
• Don’t skip the food mill. A blender or food processor won’t remove seeds and skins the same way, and seeds add bitterness.
• Let the vodka and cream reduce until the sauce coats a spoon. Too thin and it slides off the pasta.
• Toss the pasta with the sauce in the pan, not on the plate. The starch on the noodles helps the sauce cling.

Variations

• Reduce the chili by half for a milder, family-friendly version.
• Add pancetta or guanciale sauteed with the garlic for a meatier sauce.
• Use penne rigate instead of spaghettini. The tubes trap the creamy sauce inside.