Vodka Sauce Pasta

• servings: 4 to 5
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb pasta, rigatoni, fusili, or other curly pasta

Heavy cream

1 small white onion, diced

4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup vodka

1 small can tomato paste

1 tablespoon butter

Parmesan cheese

Red pepper flakes

Basil

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Prep the ingredients: Dice the onion and garlic. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and add onion. Turn on the water to boil, and heavily salt the pasta water.

Cook the sauce: Cook until the onion is translucent and soft, add garlic and red pepper flake to your desired heat level, cook for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and fry, stiring frequently to avoid tomato sugars from burning. Cook until tomato paste turns from bright red to a darker maroon color. Add vodka and cook down until all the alcohol evaporates. Add heavy cream until the desired color, less heavy cream for a more tomatoey base, more heavy cream for a lighter more creamy base.

Finish the sauce: Leave the sauce on low until the pasta is done cooking. Before draining reserve a cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to the saucepan. Add the table spoon of butter, some of the cheese and stir vigarously to coat and combine sauce with pasta. Add pasta water to thin out the sauce, and add more cheese alternating until the sauce is glossy and pasta is fully coated.

Serve with cheese and basil on top.