Delicious creamy penne pasta, also known as the viral TikTok “Gigi Hadid Pasta”, is a very quick, spicy, and delectable pasta dish that will dance on your tongue. As a bonus, the left overs warm up easily for lunch tomorrow! A few days ago I got wind of this spicy pasta recipe (AKA Gigi Hadid Pasta Recipe on TikTok) circulating and I knew I had to try it!
Turns out, this TikTok pasta dish by Gigi is very similar to one I make for my own family (my changes are at the bottom of the post) and either way, this recipe is a fantastic lunch or pasta dinner. Any time you combine garlic, onions, tomatoes and cream, there really is no going wrong.
Overall, our reviews is that this Gigi Hadid Pasta Recipe is the real deal. I mean it could certainly be improved by adding some ground sausage or chicken to really make it a full meal, but as is also super yummy.
Please read on to find the original recipe as well as our personal changes that made this base recipe even better than the TikTok recipe version!
RELATED TIKTOK RECIPES: TikTok Whipped Coffee, TikTok Lava Cake, Easy Hot Chocolate Bombs
Gigi Hadid Spicy Pasta
Before you get started on this Gigi Hadid pasta recipe, please note that the red pepper flakes, even at only 1 tsp, puts quite the medium spice to the pasta. In my opinion, it’s not so hot you can’t eat it but if you are very sensitive to spicy food or are serving children that are sensitive to spice, you may want to add less flakes to start.
Additionally, boil the penne pasta first as you will need the pasta water to complete this recipe.
TIKTOK PASTA GROCERY LIST
Below are the ingredients to make this viral recipe. Incredibly creamy and rich, there is no doubt that this pasta side can be eaten alone or paired with a light chicken breast dish. Please scroll to the bottom of the post for a printer friendly version of Gigi Hadid Pasta with full step by step instructions. This pasta recipe feeds: 5 1/2 cups, about 4 generous servings.
- olive oil
- onion
- minced garlic
- tomato paste
- whipping cream
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- pepper flakes
- butter
- garlic powder
- shredded parmesan
- 16oz box of penne pasta– boiled + reserve pasta water for later use
GIGI HADID VODKA SAUCE…WITHOUT THE VODKA
Boil pasta and set aside, reserving the pasta water for later use.
In a skillet, add olive oil and heat pan to medium-medium high.
Once pan is hot and sizzling, add in diced onion and minced garlic. Combine ingredients and sauté until onions are fragrant and slightly translucent which usually takes just a few minutes.
Now dump in all prepared spices – paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, butter and whole whipping cream to skillet.
Mix all ingredients together – the skillet will start to take on a pink hue and be slightly thick.
Heat pasta sauce for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to burn on the bottom – you may need to lower your pan heat if you detect that its too high.
Add in 1/2 a cup of shredded parmesan cheese and combine.
Now, a little at a time, add in reserved pasta water into pan, thinning out the sauce. This is where you need to take care not to over add pasta water.
Start around 1/2 a cup of water, stir and heat, adding a little more at a time till desired consistency. Remember that the sauce will still need to burn off some liquid so it will be a little thin to start.
Heat pasta sauce for about 7-8 more minutes, stirring frequently, while some of the excess liquid burns off.
Once sauce is ready, dump in boiled Penne pasta and use tongs to easily cover pasta with sauce.
Serve with additional parmesan cheese if you like!
Help! My pasta sauce is too thin!
Hey, this happens to us all and there is no need to stress. If you pour too much pasta water or its not burning off at the rate you need, simple add a bit of water and a spoon full of cornstarch into a glass and stir.
Then dump that liquid into the pasta sauce, heat, and your sauce will thicken in just a few minutes.
Do not add cornstarch directly into pan without combing with water first or it will be chunky. You can use this trick to thicken any sauce from pot roast to gravy, chicken drippings or sauce.
I often add a bit of cornstarch to my slow cooker recipes at the end to make sure any left over sauce is creamy versus liquid.
What Kind of Changes to Make to This TikTok Pasta
While the original Gigi Hadid pasta is pretty decent, there are ways to make this pasta recipe even better! Every dish has a variety of ways to make it and while this spicy pasta recipe is going viral right now due to a celebrity and the power of TikTok, I can tell you that this dish is a basic recipe that many cooks (like myself) already use.
One of the main differences in my own version and this recipe is that I add cooked ground sausage, a bit more whole whipping cream, and change out that tomato paste for a can of diced tomatoes. I love to serve it over cheese filled tortellini’s!
What are the best changes for this pasta sauce recipe?
Add 1 pound of cooked sausage, increase the whipping cream so the sauce is more plentiful and super rich, plus replace tomato paste for a can of Rotel Diced tomatoes. Perfection!
More Pasta Side Dishes
- Cheesy Baked Asparagus – Cheesy Asparagus oven baked with garlic, heavy cream, and cheese for a delicious ooey, gooey and perfect side dish that is keto friendly and ready to be devoured.
- No Knead No Yeast Bread – These soft rolls will make your mouth water and trust me, they are so easy you wont believe you have never made them this way before! Easy Dinner Rolls coming up! Woot, woot!
- Zucchini Tomato Casserole – Zucchini Tomato Casserole with Bread Crumb Topping, melty mozzarella and delicious Parmesan cheese is an amazing layered vegetable casserole bake that will make you excited to eat your veggies!
Buy an Onion Chopper – It’s life changing
One more thing – there is one thing in my kitchen arsenal that makes cooking recipes like this a snap: An onion chopper. I cannot tell you how long it took me to bite the bullet and buy one (which is crazy because they are not even that expensive) but once I did….wow. I have never looked back.
Being able to pop onions into perfectly diced pieces in literal seconds has been a game changer. I used to cry like ALL the time and I would stop in between recipes – NO MORE. For real, get one. CHECK OUT ONION CHOPPER HERE
Gigi Hadid Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small onion - diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup whole whipping cream
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 16 oz box of penne pasta - boiled + reserve pasta water for later use
Instructions
- Boil pasta and set aside, reserving the pasta water for later use.
- In a skillet, add olive oil and heat pan to medium/medium high.
- Once pan is hot and sizzling, add in diced onion and minced garlic. Combine ingredients and sauté until onions are fragrant and slightly translucent which usually takes just a few minutes.
- Dump in all prepared spices - paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, butter and whole whipping cream to skillet.
- Mix all ingredients together - the skillet will start to take on a pink hue and be slightly thick.
- Heat pasta sauce for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to burn on the bottom - you may need to lower your pan heat if you detect that its too high.
- Add in 1/2 a cup of shredded parmesan cheese and combine.
- A little at a time add in reserved pasta water into pan, thinning out the sauce. Start around 1/2 a cup of water, stir and heat, adding a little more at a time till desired consistency. Remember that the sauce will still need to burn off some liquid so it will be a little thin to start.
- Heat pasta sauce for about 7-8 more minutes, stirring frequently, while some of the excess liquid burns off. If you accidentally added too much water, see the article on how to thicken your sauce easily.
- Once sauce is ready, dump in prepared Penne pasta and use tongs to easily cover pasta with sauce.
- Serve with additional parmesan cheese if you like!
Mariah says
This recipe is so easy and simple. It’s a super quick dinner with minimal ingredients required (which is good for a poor college student like me lol). I altered the recipe a tad by adding a little red wine to the sauce to add some more flavor. Yum.
Andrea Zuidema says
It’s my daughters new favorite recipe. I’ve made it 3 times in the past 4 weeks! Thank you!
Trisha says
That is awesome! So glad she loves it!
Trisha