Gigi Hadid Pasta (Spicy Vodka Sauce Shells)

Here is the recipe for the viral Gigi Hadid Pasta with spicy vodka sauce. An incredibly creamy, indulgent dish that is essentially penne alla vodka but with shells. It’s fast, easy, and can be made with or without vodka! Jump to Recipe

Back in 2020 Gigi Hadid blew up the internet with her spicy vodka sauce pasta. It’s still one of the most highly searched pasta recipes to this day! While I love making recipes from Instagram or TikTok, I always find full blog posts with measurements easier to follow. Since I’ve been cooking classic homemade Pasta alla Vodka for ages now, I recreated Gigi’s spicy version using shells to capture here on C&C. It’s packed full of flavor, and I love the kick of heat and fresh basil. It’s also ready in under 30 minutes, making it an ideal busy work week dinner.

Ingredients:

Spicy Vodka Sauce

Olive oil, shallot (Gigi uses red onion but mentions you can also use shallot. I’ve always used shallot when I’ve made vodka sauce. Yellow onion works fine too.), fresh garlic, tomato paste, vodka (Gigi actually leaves vodka out. A note on this below.), heavy whipping cream, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and butter.

Pasta Shells

Shells are the noodle of choice in Gigi Hadid Pasta. Girl definitely was onto something, because they are the perfect pasta for scooping up and holding onto the delicious spicy vodka sauce.

Pasta Water

Be sure to save a cup of pasta water before draining your shells. I’m famous for forgetting to do this even with cooking pasta for a million years. 🙂

Fresh Parmesan

Once you use fresh, you'll never go back.

Fresh Basil

Perfect pop of flavor to top.

Gigi Hadid Pasta Instructions:

Spicy Vodka Sauce Step-by-Step:

Start by heating olive oil in a large saucepan on the stove. Sauté shallot and garlic over medium heat. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. It will clump up with the shallot and garlic at first, but as it heats it will start loosening up. Cook for a minute or so.

Add the vodka. It will steam and sizzle as it hits the hot pan. Stir to incorporate with the tomato paste mixture and allow to reduce by half.

Turn down heat and pour in heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Stir frequently.

*Note: I love spice, so I add lots of red pepper flakes. If you like only a little spice, add half or less to adjust to your preferences. You can always add a little, then add more later.

Pasta:

Meanwhile, bring a large, salted pot of water to boil. Cook shells according to packaging directions or al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to pan with spicy vodka sauce. Add butter and stir well to combine all the goodness until melted and saucy. Yum.

Stir in fresh Parmesan cheese. It should melt and combine with the pasta. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. If you’d like it a little spicier, add some more red pepper flakes. Top with fresh basil and there you have it - Gigi Hadid Pasta!

I always get compliments on these pasta bowls and sadly they’re now sold out. But here are similar ones!

FAQs

What’s so great about Gigi Hadid Pasta?

It’s honestly so flavorful and delicious. Of course, since Gigi made it, and it’s a simple recipe to follow, it gained instant popularity. But technically it is pretty much just penne alla vodka. A lot of people search for it based on her viral post though, who might not realize it’s similar to a traditional dish or who are new to cooking. I do really love her addition of lots of red pepper flakes and use of shells!

What does the vodka do? Do I have to use vodka?

The vodka allows the tomato paste and cream to cohesively blend together without imparting too much taste of its own (unlike when you add wine to sauce and want that additional flavor profile). Gigi actually leaves the vodka out of her viral dish because she was pregnant at the time of filming it. It actually would have been perfectly safe for her to use if she wanted to though. The alcohol mostly cooks off leaving a negligible amount behind. It’s safe to serve to children as well.

Rather skip the vodka or don’t have any on hand? No problem at all. As I mentioned it doesn’t have much of an impact on the flavor of the spicy vodka sauce (even if it’s part of the name – confusing, right? I don’t make the rules). You can leave it out altogether or replace it with a little chicken or vegetable broth which will also serve a blending function between the paste and cream.

Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?

You can, but since it’s a cream based sauce, it won’t thicken up in the same way. Using half and half is about as far as I’d go if you want the same texture for this spicy vodka sauce.

How do I lighten up Gigi Hadid Pasta?

This is definitely an indulgent, treat yourself type dish. It’s not especially low calorie, and there isn’t a lot of ways to make it lighter or healthier and still keep the same flavor. You can omit the butter added at the end and use half and half instead of heavy cream. Aside from that the recipe is already pretty simple. But honestly? You deserve it as-is.

If I don’t like spicy food will I like this dish?

Gigi Hadid Pasta features a spicy vodka sauce, so it’s better suited for those who like spice. You can definitely control how spicy it is though, by adjusting how many red pepper flakes you add (as mentioned above in instructions). You can leave the red pepper flakes out altogether if you wish, but the end resulting flavor will be different.

I don’t have shell pasta. What else can I use?

I recommend any short, thick noodle for this spicy vodka sauce. It’s a hearty, thick sauce which makes those types of noodles ideal (as opposed to lighter sauces, like white wine, which don’t stick to them as well). Penne is used in the classic penne alla vodka recipe. But honestly, ANY noodle would work great with this sauce.

Can I add a protein to this dish?

Definitely! Gigi Hadid Pasta is filling enough on its own if you keep it vegetarian. But blackened chicken or shrimp go great. I serve my pasta alla vodka recipe with blackened chicken.

What to serve with Gigi’s Spicy Vodka Pasta:

Since this pasta is pretty heavy, I’d stick to a light salad like NoMo SoHo Kale Caesar Salad, Panzanella Salad, Radish Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette and some garlic bread. As for drinks? I love to pair it with a Pinot Nior or Spanish red wine.

Storage and Reheating Instructions:

Gigi Hadid Pasta makes great leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, add to a pot with a splash of cream or milk to loosen up the spicy vodka sauce. You can reheat in the microwave as well. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers.

You might also enjoy:

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Pancetta Tomato Pasta