Vodka Sauce Pasta with Sausage
Ingredients
•1 pound bag of short noodle pasta such as penne, rigatoni, tortiglione, etc.
•1 pound sausage, casing removed & crumbled into small pieces
•olive oil
•1/2 medium onion, minced
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•1/3 c vodka
•28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, hand crushed
•red pepper flakes
•1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
•1/2 heavy cream (add in 1/4 c more to make it saucy)
•salt
•8 oz fresh mozzarella, crumbled
•basil leaves, torn
Instructions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil & cook pasta according to package directions, drain, & set aside.
2. In the meantime, drizzle olive oil over medium heat in another pot or large skillet. Add in your sausage & crumble as it cooks to make sure there are no large pieces. Once cooked through, remove & set aside.
3. Add in the onions & garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Pour in the vodka & allow to reduce by half. Pour in your San Marzano tomatoes & hand crush them in the pot or break apart with a masher. Sprinkle in as many pepper flakes as you like, add in the Italian seasoning, & bring the sausage back to the pot. Stir to combine then cover & simmer for 15-20 min.
4. Pour in the heavy cream & season with salt to taste. Toss in the pasta to coat in sauce. Dot with fresh mozzarella & garnish with basil leaves. Grab a piece of crusty bread to sop up the sauce & eat along your pasta. Yum!
