Quick Chili Crisp Pasta
June 05, 2024
Cuisine: Fusion
I like this recipe because it requires zero prep and comes together in about 20 minutes. The combination of chili crisp oil with cream creates a spicy, silky sauce that coats the pasta beautifully. It’s vegetarian and can be adapted for the DASH diet since there’s no additional salt - just make sure to check the sodium content of your chili crisp brand. You can also make it vegan by substituting the cheese.
The original recipe comes from Genevieve Ko’s NYT Cooking recipe, which uses fettuccine. I’ve made it with various pasta shapes and it works well with any noodle. In the pictured version I used Rafetto’s fresh spinach pasta for some added fiber.
Chili crisp (sometimes labeled chile crisp or chili crunch) is a condiment made with oil, crunchy fried chiles, garlic, and aromatics. My favorite is Xi’an Famous Foods Chili Oil & Crisps, which has great flavor and texture.
Another option is the one from Momofuku.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces noodles, uncooked
- 8 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
- 1 tbsp chili crisp
- 1.5 ounces parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces skim milk
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- lemon juice
Tools I Used
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of chile crisp. Let this simmer while you begin boiling the water to cook the pasta.
![Heat Sauce]()
- In a separate pot bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
![Cook Pasta.]()
- While the pasta is cooking, add the milk to the chile crisp oil and turn the heat to the lowest simmer setting while the pasta cooks.
![Add milk to chile crisp.]()
- When the pasta is al dente, use tongs to transfer it directly from the cooking water into the pot with the chile crisp and milk sauce.
![Combine Pasta and Sauce]()
- Add the spinach and stir for 1 minute.
![Step 5]()
- Add the parmesan cream and adjust seasonings to taste.
![Step 6]()
- Serve immediately. Add pepper, reserved parmesan cheese, or additional chile crisp to taste.
![Serve]()
This recipe was adapted from:
Cacio e Pepe
Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Cream Sauce
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Written by Will Chiong who lives and works in New York building useful things.