Spicy Ground Pork Pasta (25-Minute Weeknight Dinner)
This creamy Ground Pork Pasta is the ultimate weeknight dinner—quick, easy, and full of rich, savory flavor. Made with ground pork, tender rigatoni, and a spicy, creamy tomato sauce, it comes together in just 25 minutes for a cozy, restaurant-style pasta night at home.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 345.84kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package of rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili peppers or red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅔ cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions in a pot of boiling salted water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining.1 (16 ounce) package of rigatoni
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan then add diced onion and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.2 tablespoons butter, 1 yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves
- Add in the pork and crumble while it is browning about 5 minutes. Pour the tomato paste, chili peppers, salt and black pepper to the pan, stir and cook for 5 minutes.1 pound ground pork, ½ cup tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili peppers or red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the cream or coconut milk and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.⅔ cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- Add in the al dente pasta and a ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir everything until the sauce is smooth and creamy. If it looks dry, add in more pasta water little by little until it is creamy.1 cup reserved pasta water
- Turn off the heat and serve. Top with some parmesan cheese if desired.
Video
Notes
- Cook the tomato paste with the pork and chili paste for a few minutes before adding cream. This step deepens the flavor and takes out the raw tomato taste.
- Start with less Calabrian chili paste if you're unsure about heat; you can always stir in more at the end.
- No Calabrian chili paste? Red pepper flakes work as a substitute; use the same amount.
- Dairy-free? Full-fat canned coconut milk swaps in for the cream with no other changes and olive oil works in place of butter.
- This dish can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- When it's time to reheat, you can simply microwave it for 1-2 minutes. If you don't like using the microwave, you can reheat the pasta in a skillet for a few minutes until warm.
- Sub ground turkey or beef for the pork if you prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 345.84kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.28g | Protein: 21.31g | Fat: 24.48g | Saturated Fat: 9.12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.79g | Cholesterol: 82.47mg | Sodium: 913.13mg | Potassium: 723.28mg | Fiber: 1.94g | Sugar: 5.55g | Vitamin A: 521.94IU | Vitamin C: 10.94mg | Calcium: 49.51mg | Iron: 2.11mg
