Creamy, tangy, spicy vodka sauce that covers all the pasta you love. Perfectly forgiving for cold winter nights or New Years Eve!
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 pound Spicy Bulk Sausage
- ½ whole Onion, diced
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup Vodka
- 28 ounces, liquid Canned chopped or diced tomatoes
- 14 ounces, liquid Water (fill half the can of tomatoes after you throw them away)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 12 ounces, weight Shortened pasta, cooked al dente with some of the pasta water reserved before draining
- ⅔ cups Heavy cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375ºF and a large ovenproof skillet with a lid on medium-high. Add the sausage and cook for about 8 minutes, breaking it up as you go.
When the sausage is browned, crumbly and cooked through, add the onion, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir into sausage for about 5 minutes to soften onion. If the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil.
When the onion is soft, add the vodka to the skillet. Stir to deglaze the pan and allow the vodka to bubble for a few minutes and reduce the volume by half.
Add the canned tomatoes, water, salt and sugar to the skillet. Turn off the heat and stir to combine. Cover the skillet and put in the oven. Roast the sauce for 1 hour. Meanwhile, I cook and drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and I take out any additional toppings and accompaniments, such as parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, bread, etc.
When the sauce is roasted, it should be dark in color with some of the moisture reduced. Carefully remove from the oven, stir and taste. Add a few pinches of salt if needed. Add pasta and cream to sauce, stir to combine. If the sauce has reduced too much, add a few splashes of the reserved cooking water to thin it. Taste the dish once more and add more salt if needed.
Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese, additional red pepper flakes, and anything else you’d like. Enjoy!
