Recipe: Penne with vodka sauce

In the recipe exchange I had participated in, I received a recipe for penne a la vodka. I pieced that recipe together with one I found on All Recipes and came up with this one. It was the third dish to the four-course Italian birthday meal, and Joy even said the sauce was her favorite part of dinner. The great thing about this dish is it's quick and simple and delicious. This is definitely a valuable addition to the repertoire. I even got to use parsley picked fresh from our garden. If the Blind can Cook this, you definitely can.

Recipe: Penne with Vodka Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb. uncooked penne pasta
• 2 (3.5 oz.) Italian sausage
• 3 strips of pancetta or bacon, cut into pcs.
• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 med. onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. vodka
• 1/2 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Cook penne al dente. Drain.
2. In a med. saucepan, heat oil over med. heat. Remove sausage from casing and add to pot along with pancetta or bacon, breaking up the sausage and stirring until browned. Add garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer approx. 15 min.
4. Add vodka and half-and-half or cream, and bring to boil. Toss with penne and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

Variations

I used turkey Italian sausage and turkey bacon for a slightly healthier option. Taste is not compromised.

For a little green in the dish, consider adding spinach into the saucepan as you add the tomatoes. Simmer until spinach is to desired wiltedness.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Meal type: dinner

Culinary tradition: Italian

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