Pasta in Rundown Sauce

By Yewande Komolafe

Updated December 16, 2025

Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart.
Ready In
45 min
Rating
4(97)
Comments
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With an intriguing mix of awe and delight, this sauce is sure to strike pleasure in anyone who makes it. It is popular across the Caribbean and named for the way it runs down ingredients, coating them in its creaminess. Seafood and coconut milk perfumed with ginger form the primary elements of this recipe. Smoked paprika, grated pecorino, thinly sliced scallions and lime zest and juice add a polite jolt central to the balance of the resulting dish. Go with a large, hollow pasta here. You’ll want any shape with enough structure once cooked to hold the mouthwatering sauce. This dish is satisfying on its own, but you can add shrimp or fish in the last few minutes of cooking or prepare them separately and serve them alongside the pasta.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 medium plum or Roma tomatoes, stemmed and quartered

  • 1 small red onion or 2 shallots, halved or quartered if large

  • 10 garlic cloves, peeled

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and chopped

  • 2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

  • 8 oil-packed anchovies

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste 

  • 1 Scotch bonnet, habanero or any hot chile, seeded for mild, minced

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1 (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

  • 1 lime

  • 1 pound rigatoni, penne or medium shells

  • 4 ounces pecorino Romano or Parmesan, grated (1 cup)

  • Salt and black pepper

  • ½ cup thinly sliced scallions (about 4 whole)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

101 grams carbs; 41 milligrams cholesterol; 861 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 38 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 881 milligrams sodium; 32 grams protein; 8 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Shred the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger by pulsing in a food processor. Or, mince all the ingredients or grate them on the large holes of a box grater directly into a bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Place a large, deep pot or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and stir in the anchovies, tomato paste, chile and paprika. Stir, smashing the anchovies and tomato paste until they’re broken up. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the shredded tomato mixture along with the coconut milk. Zest the lime directly into the mixture and bring to a simmer, 2 to 3 minutes. (Cut the zested lime into wedges and reserve.)

  4. Step 4

    Reduce heat to medium and stir in the pasta and 4 cups water. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat the pasta with the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally to ensure the pasta doesn't stick, until the pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Increase heat medium-high and continue to cook, stirring until pasta is tender and liquid is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Stir in the pecorino and cook until the sauce is glossy and reduced enough to coat the pasta, another 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with scallions and lime wedges for squeezing.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
97 user ratings
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Comments

Nik Shaw

Cook pasta till al dente than another 10 to 12 minutes? Won't it be mushy?

Matt

I made this with a few modifications. I got a jar of pasta sauce then boiled some spaghetti. I cover the pasta with the sauce and served it with some crusty bread. Picky family loved it.

Prakash Nadkarni

Where's the lemongrass (one of the supposed "primary ingredients") in the recipe?

George Alexander

Followed the recipe very closely. The results were edible but I didn’t think the recipe has a focus. What is the central flavor being celebrated? I have not spent much time on the Caribbean islands but I wonder if dried rigatoni, Pecorino Romano cheese, tomato paste and anchovies would be widely available for use by local cooks.

Cassy Muronaka

So much for Italian/Thai fusion. My husband said, “This has to be one of the three worst things you’ve ever made.” I agree.

CC

are we all eating the same thing? This was really really good. I didn’t have anchovies so I stirred in some miso paste at the end. Probably a total bastardization of the dish, but it’s very tasty!

Marjan

@CC how much miso did you use? I’d like to try this recipe with miso in stead of anchovies. I made it twice with anchovies (the amount listed) and loved it! But i would like to have a vegetarian option too.

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