The cooler months call for a big bowl of warm comfort food. And for me, pasta - of any kind - is the queen of the comfort classics. The smell of marinara on the stove immediately takes me back to my grandmother's kitchen. She'd usually ladle her marinara over meatballs and gnocchi. For a bit of a twist, I thought I'd whip of a Vodka Sauce.
If you have the luxury of time, make a marinara from scratch. But for a quick fix, a really good quality store-bought sauce will work perfectly! This sauce is not much more than marinara, vodka and a splash of cream. So it's important to reach for really tasty ingredients.
Because the sauce is understated, I like to get a little more adventurous with the noodle. Fresh pasta is a true treat! Or switch it up with a fun shape like pipe rigate or campanelle.
Pasta alla Vodka
Ingredients
· 3 cups marinara sauce
· 3/4 cup vodka
· ¼ cup cream
· 1/3 cup grated parmesan
· ¼ cup fresh basil
· 1lb pasta
Simmer the marinara sauce and vodka in a large saucepan over medium low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the cream and parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to low.
While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta per package instructions in an abundance of salted water.
Toss the cooked and drained pasta with the Vodka Sauce. Garnish with more parmesan and torn basil.
Serves 4
Notes
Because this recipe is so simple, you’ll want to use a really good quality marinara sauce. Homemade would be fabulous. Otherwise, Rao’s Marinara is a fabulous store-bought brand.
Pick your pasta preference! A short noodle, such as rigatoni would be great – nice chewy texture. Or a thicker noodle, such as fettuccine.
Gluten Free Friendly!
For a special touch, I serve the Vodka Sauce over Trader Joe’s GF fresh pasta.
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