Calabrian Chili Butter Ditalini Pasta (One-Pan Recipe)

Name: Calabrian Chili Butter Ditalini Pasta (One-Pan Recipe)
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1.5 cups dry (uncooked) ditalini pasta; 2.5 cups chicken broth; 1 tablespoon crushed Calabrian chili peppers; 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted); salt & pepper (to taste); 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese; optional additions (crushed red pepper flakes, sliced chives, extra parmesan cheese)

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This Calabrian Butter Ditalini Pasta is rich and creamy, with a touch of heat from spicy Calabrian chili peppers. It’s an easy, one-pan recipe that’s ready in just 20 minutes!

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This Calabrian Chili Butter Ditalini is a must-make recipe for pasta lovers!

It’s quick, easy, and packs a ton of flavor with just a handful of ingredients. Plus, cleanup is a breeze with only one pan to wash!

This pasta has a wonderful, rich umami flavor from the chicken broth and parmesan cheese, a creaminess from the butter, and the Calabrian chili peppers give the dish a touch of spice.

In the style of making risotto, the ditalini will slowly absorb the broth, making it incredibly flavorful!

This is pure comfort food that could just as easily be a quick weeknight meal as an elegant side dish for company!

Slow Cooker Nando’s Peri-Peri Chicken Pasta is another great spicy pasta dish!

Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):

Ditalini pasta
Garlic
Olive oil
Chicken broth
Crushed Calabrian chili peppers
Butter – I use unsalted butter
Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated will melt better
Salt & pepper

About Calabrian Chili Peppers

Calabrian chili peppers come from the Calabria region of southern Italy.
PepperScale rates them as having 25,000 to 40,000 Scoville heat units, which is 3 to 16 times hotter than a jalapeno.
The crushed style of these peppers are often combined with oil, basil, salt, and vinegar.

How to make Calabrian Chili Butter Ditalini Pasta (One-Pan Recipe):

Cook garlic in a large, wide skillet for a minute or two, then add the uncooked ditalini pasta, broth, Calabrian chili peppers, salt, and pepper to the skillet and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook (stirring often) until the majority of the broth has been absorbed.
Add the butter and parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

A nice big pan is best to ensure the pasta cooks evenly!

Love Calabrian chili peppers? You’ll want to make Calabrian Chicken Meatballs, Cheesy Baked Spicy Italian Dip, and Calabrian Chili Garlic Bread!

How to serve Calabrian Chili Butter Pasta

This pasta can be served as a fabulous main course, but it would also be a wonderful side dish to your favorite protein with a vegetable or salad.

Some freshly grated parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes, or sliced chives would be great finishing touches!

This pasta would be great paired with:

Tips for Perfect Calabrian Chili Butter Pasta:

Here are a few tips to make sure your pasta turns out perfectly:

One-Pan Tip: For best results, use a large, wide skillet, which helps the pasta cook evenly.
Parmesan: Grate your own wedge of parmesan cheese to ensure a smooth, non-gritty sauce.
Control the Spice: Add more or less Calabrian chili peppers depending on how much spice you like.
Butter: I like to use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the dish.

How to store Calabrian Butter Pasta:

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

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