Penne with Vodka Sauce
This Penne with Vodka Sauce has just the right balance of savory, tangy, spicy, and creamy. Plus, it tastes rich and creamy yet not heavy. Leftovers are great, too!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage, no casings
- 28 oz Italian diced tomatoes, canned, juices reserved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cloves cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- table salt, to taste
- ⅓ cup vodka
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ lb dried penne
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, minced
- freshly grated parmesan cheese , for serving
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium high heat, cook and crumble sausage until cooked through. Set aside.
- In a food processor, puree half of the diced tomatoes until smooth. Combine pureed and diced tomatoes, including juices.
- Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium. Add onion and tomato paste, stirring, until onion is light golden, 3 min.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes with juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Remove pan from heat and add vodka.
- Return pan to medium high and simmer 8 -10 minutes, stirring often and lowering heat if simmering is vigorous. Stir in cream and cooked sausage and cook to heat up 1 min. Turn heat off and keep warm.
- While sauce is simmering: bring large pot of well salted water to boil. Cook pasta until just shy of al dente (about a minute less than package instructions for al dente) Reserve 1/2 up of pasta water. Drain pasta but don't rinse, and return it to the pot.
- Add the warm tomato sauce mixture and toss over medium heat, until pasta absorbs some of the sauce, 1-2 min. Adjust consistency of sauce with the reserved pasta water as needed.
- Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with fresh parmesan.
Notes
- Feel free to use mild or spicy Italian sausage, depending on your preference for heat.
- Pureeing half of the diced tomatoes is a great trick to give the sauce a smooth, velvety texture without losing the chunky tomato bits that add a nice contrast.
- Cook the penne just shy of al dente, as it will continue to cook when you toss it with the sauce. This ensures that your pasta will be perfectly cooked and not mushy.
- Don't skip the step of reserving pasta water. This starchy liquid is a secret weapon for adjusting the consistency of your sauce and helping it adhere to the pasta.
- This recipe is part of our 30-Minute Meals Collection.
- Serve your Penne with Vodka Sauce with some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top and Rosemary Garlic Bread or Olive Garden Breadsticks on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 889kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 1137mg | Potassium: 1101mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1015IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 5mg