Cavatappi with Creamy Tomato Sauce

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Savor the flavors of Florence with our cavatappi with creamy tomato sauce—no passport required! Our cavatappi recipe showcases an elegant, rich tomato sauce spiked with cream and red pepper, and I serve it on top of a unique pasta that may need a little introduction.

The recipe has a few ingredients, but the only real effort required is a little chopping and patience while the sauce simmers. Just get ready for the amazing smells that will be coming out of your kitchen soon! Sautéed onions are the first layer of flavor, slowly browned to caramelize and release their sugar. Red pepper flakes for a very subtle hint of heat and some chopped prosciutto complete the flavor.

Try more of my deliciously authentic Italian pastas. Ragu bolognese, pasta alla norma, cacio e pepe, and baked ziti with ricotta.

Bellissimo my Friends!

WHAT IS CAVATAPPI:

Let’s talk about cavatappi pasta. Cavatappi pronunciation is “cah-vah-TOP-pee,”  It’s a corkscrew-shaped tube pasta, about one inch long, with ridges on the sides. The literal definition of cavatappi is “tap extractor” (yes, like a beer keg).

This shape has tons of surface area and is especially suited for clinging to a sauce like its life depended on it. It’s the perfect home for big ladles of my creamy tomato sauce, instantly transporting you to the patio of some romantic trattoria in the heart of Tuscany.

CAVATAPPI WITH CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• Butter: Use salted or unsalted.
• Prosciutto: Italian ham. If you’re not familiar with this Italian ham, it’s dried rather than cooked, sliced paper-thin, and usually served on a charcuterie plate or wrapped around a piece of melon or other fruit (though it also makes a great pizza topping, since the thin slices get crispy when baked). Many classic Italian tomato sauces use either pancetta or prosciutto to provide that savory, meaty quality without adding so much. Pancetta is just a fattier choice, so I like to use prosciutto in this particular recipe.
• Onion: Yellow onion.
• Red Pepper Flakes: Add more or less depending on your heat tolerance.
• Garlic: Only use fresh garlic, not the stuff from a jar.
• Tomato Paste: Add a 2nd type of tomato to the sauce to create significant complexity.
• Sun-dried tomatoes: Use the type in oil. Pat them with paper towels to remove most of the oil.
• White Wine: Only use wine you would drink out of a glass. I like a crisp, light white.
• Crushed Tomatoes: Use San Marzano crushed tomatoes.
• Pasta: I use Barilla Cavatappi.
• Cream: Use heavy cream or whipping cream.
• Basil: I recommend using fresh basil for this dish. It has a bright quality that just can’t be duplicated with dry, not to mention the gorgeous green color. If you chop yours ahead of time, though, those green leaves will brown. Don’t worry—while this color doesn’t match the Italian flag anymore, it won’t impact the flavor.

RECIPE NOTES FOR CAVATAPPI:

• Sauciest of sauces – Saving the cooking water to use in the sauce is an old chef’s trick. The cooking water is enriched with the flavor of the pasta and concentrated starch is released as the pasta cooks. Adding it to the sauce creates a silky texture that embraces the pasta perfectly. It truly is a magical ingredient.
  • The recipe calls for adjusting the consistency of the sauce as needed, and I find I use about ¼ cup of pasta water. The sauce stays nice and thick while still being thin enough to distribute evenly.
• A stickler for instructions – The instructions on this recipe aren’t hard, but you do need to follow them.
  • Make sure to caramelize the onions. Don’t rush the onions. If they don’t brown well or if they burn, you’ll miss out on important flavor development.
  • Note also that both the crushed tomatoes and the white wine are added in two stages. This is important to allow the flavors to develop a bit with the first edition while preserving the wonderful fresh qualities of the additions made just before serving.
• Pasta substitutes: Sometimes, cavatappi can be hard to find. Other pasta will work, but you want it to have those glorious little ridges to help carry the sauce. Fusilli regate, penne regate, and penne mostaccioli are all great pasta substitutes in this cavatappi with creamy tomato sauce recipe.
• Great Tomato Flavor: We also use three different sources of tomatoes: 1) crushed – light, bright, and acidic; 2) sundried – bright but intense and sweet; and 3) paste – rich and full-bodied. These three types of tomatoes build layers of flavor you just won’t appreciate until you take that first bite.

SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS

We love this yummy pasta with a simple green salad dressed with our easy-peasy balsamic vinaigrette (you’ll never buy store bought again!), our loaded Mediterranean salad, 1905 salad, or our super popular, pizza salad.

Our garlic bread is great with this simple pasta, and I promise it’s the best garlic bread you’ve ever had!  If you have a little more time on your hands, copycat Olive Garden breadsticks, or garlic herb Parker House rolls are amazing with this. Honestly, all three of these breads are delicious with dang near everything. No exaggeration!

STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Cool the leftovers completely and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• Can You Freeze This? No. This is best served fresh.
• Make-Ahead Tips: You can make the sauce a day or two ahead of time.
• Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.

MORE DELICIOUS PASTA RECIPES

• Chicken Tetrazzini 
• Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
• Chicken Lasagna
• Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage
• Spaghetti With Ground Beef (one of our most popular recipes)
• Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta
• Roasted Tomato Pasta
• Lemon Garlic Pasta
• Taco Pasta (kids of all ages love this pasta)
• Taco Mac And Cheese
• Greek Pasta
• Rigatoni Bolognese

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Cavatappi with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Cavatappi with Creamy Tomato Sauce is a simple homemade dish infused with layers of creamy full-bodied flavor that steal the show every time.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 ounces prosciutto chopped
• ▢ 1 small onion diced
• ▢ 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• ▢ 3 large cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained, rinsed, patted dry, chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine divided
• ▢ 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons canned crushed tomato divided
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• ▢ 1 pinch sugar
• ▢ 1 pound cavatappi
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves julienned

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large, high-sided skillet, melt the butter (3 tablespoons) over medium heat. Add the prosciutto (2 ounces), onion (1), and red pepper flakes (1 pinch) and cook until the onions are very soft about 10 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir in the garlic (3 cloves). Cook, stirring constantly for 30-45 seconds. Add tomato paste (2 tablespoons) and sun-dried tomatoes (3 tablespoons) and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Pour 1/4 cup of wine into the skillet and cook, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook the Cavatappi (1 pound) until al dente, according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain Cavatappi well then return it back to the cooking pot.
• Add 2 cups of crushed tomatoes, salt (1 1/2 teaspoons), pepper (1/2 teaspoons), and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover partially, and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, (a spoon dragged through the sauce will leave a trail) about 15 minutes. Add cream (1/2 cup), basil (1/4 cup), the remaining 2 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of wine to thicken the sauce. Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.
• Pour sauce over Cavatappi and toss to evenly coat. Adjust the sauce consistency with cooking water as needed. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Cannelloni Recipe
• 
  Chicken Riggies
• 
  One Pot Pasta
• 
  Stuffed Shells

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Notes

1. Sauciest of sauces - Saving the cooking water to use in the sauce is an old chef’s trick.  The cooking water is enriched with the flavor of the pasta and concentrated starch is released as the pasta cooks. Adding it to the sauce creates a silky texture that embraces the pasta perfectly. It truly is a magical ingredient.
   • The recipe calls for adjusting the consistency of the sauce as needed, and I find I use about ¼ cup of pasta water. The sauce stays nice and thick while still being thin enough to distribute evenly.
2. A stickler for instructions – The instructions on this recipe aren’t hard, but you do need to follow them.
   • Make sure to caramelize the onions. Don’t rush the onions. If they don’t brown well or if they burn, you’ll miss out on important flavor development.
   • Note also that both the crushed tomatoes and the white wine are added in two stages. This is important to allow the flavors to develop a bit with the first edition while preserving the wonderful fresh qualities of the additions made just before serving.
3. Pasta substitutes: Sometimes cavatappi can be hard to find. Other pasta will work but you want it to have those glorious little ridges to help carry the sauce. Fusilli regate, penne regate, and penne mostaccioli are all great pasta substitutes in this cavatappi with creamy tomato sauce recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 869mg | Potassium: 659mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 879IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg

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