This chili crisp pasta features a creamy cheese sauce with a bit of jarred chili crisp sauce and spinach. A quick and easy pasta dinner that’s full of flavour!
This chili crisp pasta is one of my favourites from NYT cooking. I love that it combines a creamy cheese sauce with some spice from jarred chili crisp. It is full of flavour and comes together really quickly.
If you aren’t familiar with chili crisp, you’ll want to know that while a little goes a long way, the brand I use and am familiar with isn’t super spicy. In the right quantities, it brings a touch of heat along with warm spices for a deliciously unique flavour.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Chilli crisp – Look for chili crisp in jars with the Asian foods at most grocery stores. I like the Lao Gan Ma brand, but other brands, such as Momofuku, are also great. There are also recipes online to make your own chili crisp, if you like.
Pasta – This sauce is equally suited to long or short pasta, so use what you have on hand or enjoy. I’ve used rigatoni here.
Heavy whipping cream – For the creamiest sauce, go with heavy whipping cream (35% b.f.). I have made this one with Half and Half cream (10% b.f.) that I mix with a bit of cornstarch to thicken a bit. It’s a good option if you don’t have cream on hand or if you prefer a lower fat dish.
Spinach – I love the addition of spinach to this dish, but you can omit or substitute for another green, such as arugula, if you like.
How to make chili crisp pasta
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
- Start this pasta by melting some butter in a skillet, add the garlic and chili crisp and cook with the butter briefly.
- Add the heavy cream to the skillet.
- When the pasta is cooked, spoon out into the skillet.
- Add the Parmesan cheese to the skillet.
- Add the fresh spinach.
- Cook the pasta with the spinach until the spinach wilts, adding a bit of pasta cooking water if needed.
Recipe tips!
- Different brands of chili will vary in spiciness, so start with a bit and add as needed for your taste and tolerance for spiciness.
- This dish is best for using mostly the solid pepper flakes from the chili crisp and less of the oil part of it.
- If you’re looking to add a protein, consider adding some shrimp. You can add raw shrimp with the butter and chili crisp, then remove to add back later. Alternately, add some cooked shrimp at the end and cook with the pasta until warmed through.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
I always think pasta is best enjoyed freshly cooked, as the pasta will tend to absorb the sauce as it sits.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. It can be loosened up with a splash more cream when reheating.
Pasta can be frozen, but the sauce can sometimes become grainy after freezing and thawing.
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Get the Recipe: Chili Crisp Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons jarred chili crisp, plus more to garnish *see Note 1 below
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f. *see Note 2 below
- 12-16 oz dried pasta, *see Note 3 below
- 4-6 oz baby spinach
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated and well-packed, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water generously and add the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente per the package instructions.
- Tip! For this dish, try to use mostly the solids (the pepper flakes) from the chili crisp and less of the oil.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili crisp to the skillet and cook with the butter briefly (don't let the garlic brown). Add the cream and stir together. Immediately reduce the heat under the skillet to low to keep the sauce warm (or turn off completely until the pasta is cooked).
- When the pasta is cooked, use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce, reserving the pasta cooking water.
- Increase the heat under the skillet slightly to medium-low. Add the spinach and use tongs to toss the pasta with the spinach and sauce until everything is well-coated and the spinach has wilted down.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and toss with the noodles. Add a spoonful or two of pasta cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Divide the pasta among the serving dishes and top with additional Parmesan cheese and an additional dollop of chile crisp, if you’d like. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from a NYT Cooking recipe
More quick and easy pasta recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
