Secret Recipe Club: Pasta tossed in a velvety vodka-tomato-cream sauce. Elegance and rustic comfort all in one dish.
It’s time again for our Secret Recipe Club ’reveal day’. For the uninitiated, the Secret Recipe Club is a group of around 100 food bloggers, who are separated into four smaller blogging groups. Every month, we’re each assigned a blog in our group to look through. We try a few recipes and chose one to post about. But all month long, we keep our assignment a secret until ‘reveal day’. It’s been a lot of fun – and I’ve found some great new blogs to follow and new recipes to add to my rotation.
This month I was assigned to Nicole of Colie's Kitchen. Nicole and I have some things in common. We both hate to clean, but hate a dirty house. And we both live in a constant state of organized chaos. There are so many wonderful, homey recipes on her blog, it was hard (as usual) to narrow it down! Some of the recipes that caught my eye were Taco Hummus, Jalapeño Cheddar Jack Drop Biscuits, and her Triple Berry Dump Cake. But when push came to shove, I kept coming back to her Fantastico Vodka Pasta Sauce.
Pasta(s) alla Vodka have been around for awhile now, and I've watched people swoon over them from the sidelines. I don't know why I waited so long to try one, but I get distracted by a bazillion other recipes I want to try, and flat out forget. There are a bunch of variations out there on this Vodka approach, but they all involve basically the same ingredients: tomato sauce, cream, both butter and olive oil, onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and lots of Vodka.
So what's all the fuss about? The alcohol of the Vodka cooks off to leave a savory flavor that falls somewhere between Vodka and wine, taking the sauce to another level. And what a sauce. It's like velvet. Smooth, subtly decadent, with enough body to cling to the noodles. You can spice it up a bit with dried red pepper flakes and toss in some basil slivers, but it's more Lauren Bacall than Sophia Loren. Subtle, casually elegant, and sexy. And addictive. Think stilettos with blue jeans. Now go make it and tell me how you would describe it!
Pasta alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup vodka
- 4 cup chopped peeled*, heirloom tomatoes
- 1 cup half 'n half
- 1 t dried oregano or dry your own
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- handful of basil leaves slivered
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the olive oil and butter together. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about two minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the vodka and stir in the tomatoes. Lightly simmer for five minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the half 'n half, oregano, salt, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Gently simmer for five minutes, until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Fold the pasta into the sauce, gently tossing with a large metal spoon.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese and slip the pasta into large serving bowl. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and basil.
Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says
Susan, this looks so good. I love the photo too. Great pick!
Karen says
That boozy pasta has my name all over it Susan and as a veggie lover, I am tempted to make this recipe this week as I have all the ingredients! What a great SRC pick! Karen
Couscous & Consciousness says
This is a dish I have been meaning to try for ages. I love your description of it – you make it sound very sexy and I can’t wait to give it a try.
April @ Angels Homestead says
This looks so good Susan, and I love your suggestion of adding fresh basil to it. I cant wait to try this with some veggie noodles.
Sarah E says
Like velvet?? I’m sold. I’ve been meaning to try pasta alla vodka for forever too! Love your photographs – they are just gorgeous 🙂 Happy reveal day!
Lauren Everson says
Vodka sauce is my absolute favorite pasta sauce! Wonderful choice this month.
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
It has been WAY too long since I’ve had pasta alla vodka, for sure. Your version looks fantastic. I must make some this week!
sara says
Mmm, vodka sauce is one of my all time favorites…so delicious! Great pick. Visiting from Group A 🙂
SallyBR says
One of my favorite sauces, I haven’t made it in quite a while, thanks for bringing it back into my radar!
have a fantastic Reveal Day!
Rebekah @ Making Miracles says
Mmm… that looks absolutely WONDERFUL! Great choice this month!!
apuginthekitchen says
I love vodka sauce but have never made it before, your pasta dish is wonderful, love it, I love the combination of cream and tomato and cheese there is something so homey and comforting about this dish. Nicole’s recipe is fantastic. Lauren Bacall rather than Sophia Loren, LOL!! great analogy.
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says
I love your writing. It was a great way to describe your sauce and I enjoyed it. Happy Reveal Day
Melissa says
Vodka sauce is so delicious. I love your analogies, too! Excellent pick this month 😉
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
Looks awesome! I love recipes with simple, fresh ingredients. Great pick!
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says
Your pasta looks fabulous! Great pick!
Emily @ Life on Food says
Funny I haven’t had Vodka pasta either. After seeing this though I want to get on it right away. Happy Reveal Day!!
nicole says
Thanks for cooking in my kitchen this month! The recipe looks like it turned out great!!!
Oui, Chef says
With an ingredient list like this, what’s not to love!
mjskit says
I’m so glad that you chose this pasta to try! I’ve heard of it, but have never had it before and wanted to make it. I have some wonderful fresh tomatoes, so I can’t wait to use them in this. It looks delightful!
cheri says
Hi Susan, love everything about this dish, have never cooked with vodka before, I guess it’s about time. lovely pictures!!
Kirstin says
YUM! Good and simple.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Oh my is that pretty. I always did prefer Lauren Bacall over Sophia Loren.
Maureen says
I have a recipe similar to this and I adore it. I want to try your recipe too. It looks so good!
Pure Grace Farms says
You had me with Vodka! 🙂 Looks like a lovely sauce, I look forward to trying this one. Already thinking about how I can put some away with all the tomatoes I have in the garden. May have to experiment and do a little canning. Thank you for sharing,
Blessings,
Shari
Pure Grace Farms says
If you haven’t already would love for you to come by and link up your fabulous sauce at Foodie Fridays.
Thanks, Shari
http://puregracefarms.com/2014/08/foodie-fridays-link-up-party-10/
Kate says
Great SRC selection! I love Pasta with Vodka Sauce….yummy. I need to give this recipe a try. Visiting from Group B.
Pure Grace Farms says
Stopping in to let you know I have featured your post on Foodie Fridays starting Thursday Evening at 9pm EST. Stop by and say hello and link up another fabulous post!
Blessings,
Shari
http://puregracefarms.com/?p=7884
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
Hi Susan! What a fabulous combination of flavors! Cream, vodka and tomatoes… whats not to love! Thank you for sharing this recipe and mouthwatering photos!
Hope to see you at the IFBC!
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
Very cool! I’ve only ever had the vodka pasta sauce from Trader Joe’s, I’ve never tried to make my own. I love using liquors in my cooking both for main dishes and desserts. I haven’t been exactly sure what the vodka adds to the pasta sauce since it has so little flavor on its own, but I’m sure that whatever it does add you’d notice more in a homemade sauce than a commercial one.
Carrie Pacini says
Your Pasta alla Vodka looks wonderful.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much Carrie!