Calabrian Chili Cavatappi is an easy weeknight dinner made with spicy chili paste, butter, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan and lemony toasted breadcrumbs. Because the whole thing cooks in one skillet in 20 minutes, this quick recipe suits busy weeknights, date night or a simple family supper.
Toast the panko first and keep it in a separate bowl, because breadcrumbs stirred into the sauce turn to paste. It goes over the top only at the table, so the crunch survives long enough to matter.
This version builds the sauce on butter and Calabrian chili paste rather than a long simmered tomato sauce, so it comes together fast. Lemon zest in the breadcrumbs cuts the richness, which is why the dish never feels heavy despite the butter and cheese.
Calabrian Chili Cavatappi
Course: DinnerCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes10
minutes665
kcalPanko toasts in olive oil and gets tossed with lemon zest and parsley while sliced garlic and cherry tomatoes soften. Butter and chili paste melt into a sauce with pasta water, then Parmesan and lemon juice finish it off heat.
Ingredients
- For the Lemony Breadcrumbs:
½ cup panko
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
- For the Pasta:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste
12 ounces cavatappi, cooked
¾ cup pasta cooking water, plus more as needed
¾ cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Directions
- Toast the panko:Toast the panko in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl and mix with the lemon zest and parsley.
- Cook the garlic and tomatoes:Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet. Add the sliced garlic and cook until sizzling, then add the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they begin to break down, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Build the sauce:Stir in the butter and Calabrian chili paste.
- Add the pasta:Add the cooked cavatappi plus ¾ cup pasta water. Cook over medium heat, stirring and adding more pasta water as needed, until combined, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finish off the heat:Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Top with the panko mixture.
FAQs
What is Calabrian chili paste, and where do you find it?
It is a paste of small red chiles from Calabria in southern Italy, packed in oil with salt and vinegar. Look in the Italian aisle near the sun-dried tomatoes, or check an Italian grocer if your store carries none. Jarred whole Calabrian chiles work too, though you will need to chop them into a rough paste first yourself.
How spicy is four tablespoons of the paste?
Calabrian chiles sit around thirty thousand Scoville units, so four tablespoons gives you a real but manageable burn. The butter and Parmesan blunt a lot of that heat, which is why the sauce tastes warm rather than punishing. Start with two tablespoons if you are cooking for kids, then stir in more once you have tasted it.
Why does the pasta water matter?
Pasta water carries dissolved starch, and that starch is what binds melted butter to water into a glossy sauce. Plain tap water would leave you with butter pooling on one side and the pasta sitting dry on the other. Reserve more than the three quarter cup listed, since you will want the extra as the sauce tightens up.
Why stir the Parmesan in off the heat?
Parmesan proteins tighten and squeeze out their fat above about 180 degrees, which turns a smooth sauce grainy. Pulling the skillet off the burner drops the temperature just enough for the cheese to melt into the butter. Grate it finely as well, because coarse shreds clump together before they ever have a chance to disperse.
What can you use instead of cavatappi?
Any short ridged shape works here, so fusilli, rigatoni, penne rigate and small shells all hold this sauce well. The corkscrew shape of cavatappi traps the butter sauce inside the tube, which smooth shapes simply cannot do. Long pasta like spaghetti works in a pinch, though the tomatoes slide off rather than catching in the twists.
