My Favorite Vodka Pasta

A good vodka pasta is a death row meal contender for me. It has the sweet tang of the tomato paste, the unctuous creaminess from the cheese and heavy cream, the welcome pungency of garlic and shallot, and the perfect hint of spice from red pepper flakes. Coat some perfectly chewy al dente pasta with it and top with fresh basil, black pepper, and extra cheese and you have just the PERFECT dish. There are about a million different vodka sauce recipes out there, but I'm throwing mine in the ring anyway (if for no other reason than to help myself remember what I do every time). 

I'm passionate about pasta shapes - some are superior to others, and I don't care about which shapes are "appropriate" for different kinds of sauces. It's all about the texture for me - I much prefer the cartoon character shapes in Kraft mac and cheese, I'll pass on the regular "macaroni" shaped pasta in that scenario. 😂 And replacing the orzo in an orzo salad recipe with ditalini? DIVINE. When it comes to vodka sauce, most establishments will serve it with fusilli or penne, but I bring in my personal favorite pasta: fusilli corti bucati. It's a little hard to find (although Trader Joe's has it now!) so I always stock up when I see it. It's expensive to order online, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

Vodka Pasta 

Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 8 oz dry pasta of choice (my favorite is fusilli corti bucati)
  
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I like to add extra)
• 6 oz tomato paste (a small can)
  
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan 
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste, I like it a little spicy)
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Grated mozzerella and/or additional parmesan, to garnish
• Thinly sliced fresh basil, to garnish 

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with salted water and cook pasta according to package instructions (make sure to salt the water!) Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and set both aside. 
2. While pasta is cooking, put a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan. Once oil is hot, add shallots and and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent. For the last minute of cooking, add garlic.
3. Add tomato paste and stir together. Continue to stir until paste brightens and begins to caramelize, about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Deglaze skillet with vodka and stir until vodka evaporates. Add reserved pasta water to skillet and stir together until smooth, about 1 minute. Season with crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, to taste. 
5. Stir heavy cream into sauce until mixture is smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer together, about 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens a bit. Stir in butter and parmesan cheese and continue to simmer until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
6. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss together until fully coated. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. 
7. Serve garnished with more grated mozzarella and/or parmesan, black pepper, and fresh basil.

 
This recipe is the ULTIMATE comfort food to me, I hope you love it!

xoxx, Laura

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