The buzz all over the internet was enough to make me curious about this wildly popular pasta dish, but as soon as it entered my mouth, I understood why everyone raved about it.

The trending spicy vodka pasta dish from model Gigi Hadid seemed to be a difficult challenge. She first introduced this recipe on her Instagram stories with step-by-step instructions for people to follow along.

I assumed the recipe would be complicated and use ingredients no one would normally hear of, but, in fact, I glanced over the prep list and noticed there were very few steps required to create this meal. 

This was a very easy meal to make as the added elements were pasta, cream, and tomato paste. There weren’t ingredients that I felt were going to be overwhelming to cook with, and they were all easily accessible in my home without having to make a trip to the store. 

As I read off the ingredients to myself, I was shocked at some of the directions—I would never think to add heavy cream to tomato paste—but I figured if so many people enjoyed it then I should follow the recipe accordingly. 

The full meal took around an hour to make, but it was an enjoyable process that felt like a short 15-minute endeavor. It may have been my lack of skill in the kitchen, but prepping for the sauce was the lengthiest part, and it made my poor mincing skills evident. 

The term “trust the process” played a considerable role in my experience; as soon as I had combined my cream with the tomato paste, I froze and started to regret ever making the dish. The misshapen substance was sliding around the pan, and I instantly felt that I had mutilated the sauce.

Still, I kept stirring, reminding myself this was exactly how the recipe instructed. Not long after, the sauce formed into a thick mixture. I finally relaxed and finished what I intended to make. Though I predicted that it would seem like a boring mixture of heavy cream and tomato paste, the fresh basil I included allowed it to smell fresh and sweet. 

Within minutes, it was ready, and I had added the pasta. I mixed until the small spirals were coated in the sweet-smelling concoction. It had transformed from being nine separate ingredients into an astounding meal that would soon be devoured.

In the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure how the hype on this dish was so universal, but the creamy pasta made me think otherwise. It held a kick from the red chili flakes I carefully poured in, and it shared a more savory flavor with each bite. 

I was shocked at how a dish so alluring could come from my kitchen, much less my own work. I noticed how the combination of the cream and cheese had pulled the meal from a regular pasta with sauce to one packed with flavor, practically melting in my mouth. 

And seeing as my family had immediately complimented the dish, I knew it would be included in the recipe books from now on. 

With my astonishment that the recipe from Gigi would prove to be satisfying, I can say that the murmur I was hearing about the simplicity of the appealing dish was confirmed to be true. With the newly established cooking career I have placed upon myself, it now can be seen in light of Gigi Hadid’s Instagram stories.