Skip to main content

BBQ Rigatoni

We love the flavor of barbecue sauce. Here we’ve added the sauce to the pasta instead of the other way around. The pasta is simply tossed with butter, ready to be paired with sautéed jumbo shrimp, breaded pork chops, or sausage and peppers. These rigatoni could also be stuffed with raw shrimp sausage and then gently simmered in a blend of barbecue sauce, butter, and white wine to cook the pasta and the shrimp.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4 as an entrée

Ingredients

6 1/2 cups/1,462.5 grams water
One 17.6-ounce/500-gram jar barbecue sauce
1 pound/453 grams dried rigatoni
6 tablespoons/84 grams unsalted butter

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Stir together the water and the barbecue sauce. Submerge the rigatoni in the barbecue water and refrigerate for 4 hours. Drain the pasta from the liquid, reserving the barbecue water, and store the hydrated rigatoni in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator.

    Step 2

    In a large pot, combine the reserved barbecue water and enough clean water to equal roughly 4 quarts (4 liters). Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the soaked rigatoni. It will cook in less than 3 minutes. Taste for texture. When cooked to your satisfaction, drain the pasta and toss with the butter. Serve immediately.

Ideas in Food
Read More
Like tiny tomato galettes and chimichurri grilled shrimp.
Like swordfish steaks with tomatoes and Peruvian-style tofu.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Punchy, make-ahead chimichurri adds a bright, fresh finish to this easy summer dinner.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Thinly sliced and cooked hot and fast, pork tenderloin is the juicy, cook-quicking weeknight champion of this vegetable-heavy stir-fry.
With a crisp crust, garlicky mayo, and a juicy slice of tomato.
The secret to juicy grilled chicken, a sheet-cake swap for banana pudding, and more reasons to light up the grill and have people over all summer long.