Rigatoni alla Vodka

Rigatoni alla Vodka

from savoringitaly.com
Dinner
411 kcal / serving

My Rigatoni alla Vodka recipe is one of my favorites, with a rich, creamy vodka tomato sauce made from tomato paste, heavy cream, and a splash of vodka. A silky smooth and delicious sauce that's perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, and yes, you can even freeze the sauce for later!

Ingredients

  • 1 lbmezze rigatoni or penne pasta
  • 1 tablespoonextra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbspunsalted butter
  • 2 clovesgarlic (minced)
  • 1shallot (minced)
  • ½ cupvodka
  • 1 oztube of double concentrated tomato paste (or use a can )
  • 1 cupheavy cream
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cupparmigiano reggiano (grated (or use grana padano), plus more to your taste)

Directions

  1. 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the pasta making sure it's not quite al dente (so about 1 minute less than the cooking time, because you'll be combining in pan with the sauce and heating together and it will cook a little more).

  2. 2

    While the pasta is cooking, make the vodka sauce.

Vodka sauce:

  1. 1

    Melt the butter and add in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots (or onions) and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes.

  2. 2

    Add in the vodka and it's going to sizzle and bubble. Let it do it's magic and give it a stir to deglaze the pan a bit while it evaporates a little (about 1 minute).

  3. 3

    Add the tomato paste and stir constantly, cooking the paste until it changes from bright red to a deeper color or until the paste has caramelized and become darker, 2-3 minutes.

  4. 4

    Add in a scoop of the starchy pasta water to loosen the sauce a little.

  5. 5

    Slowly add the cream to the sauce, stirring to combine.

  6. 6

    Taste and check the seasoning of the sauce and add a little more salt (if needed)and some freshly ground pepper.

  7. 7

    Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat while the pasta is cooking (sauce will be simmering for a total 10-12 minutes).

  8. 8

    Strain pasta when it's just before al dente, reserve some of the pasta water (1/2 cup is good), drain well and immediately add the pasta to the pan with vodka sauce. On medium heat, give it a nice stir to combine it all together. If it’s too thick, loosen it with a little bit of the reserved pasta water and stir it all together.

  9. 9

    Spoon pasta onto plates and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Garnish with fresh basil (optional). Enjoy!