Pasta a la Vodka

Today, I was out of ideas for dinner. I decided to make my go to supper, pasta. You might think pasta is pretty boring, everyone makes pasta. Well, yeah. It's cheap, and can feed a crowd in a short period of time. Most of the time...I said it before, I will say it again. I am a total glutton for punishment. *sigh*

Well, I always have to make my "own" pasta sauce, which consists of crushed tomatoes, my own spice blend - some fresh some dry, lots of veggies, a mix of ground beef and sausages. Oh, and at least a couple of hours of simmering too. Tomato sauce is definitely a long process, but well worth the effort. Tonight was sadly not a home made tomato sauce night. I didn't have the time and the hubby was on his way home.

After a quick search and racking my brain for possible sauces, I decided to make my husband's favourite sauce, Vodka sauce. Quick and easy especially because I did have a can of tomato sauce, I was planning on using it in my stuffed peppers.

Quick and easy Pasta a la Vodka

It was so good, even Alyssa and Logan ate it. Logan had seconds. For the life of me, I cannot get Kat to eat pasta with sauce. To this day, she would rather just have plain pasta with a little butter and cheese. This is the kid who would rather have sushi then pizza. *sigh* I just don't know. :(

Here's the recipe, I actually stole borrowed it from Cook Like a Champion. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
medium yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup vodka
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
Generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil, plus additional for serving
1 pound penne pasta

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus additional for serving

Directions:
1. Cook pasta in well salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, drain pasta and set aside.

2.While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about a minute more. Stir in tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the tomato paste and vodka. Cook until most of the alcohol has evaporated, at least 5 minutes. Stir in cream, red pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook sauce until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

3. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in basil and cheese.

4. Add pasta to skillet and toss to coat, adding pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Serve topped with additional basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Happy cooking! :)