I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking shows “Barefoot Contessa” years ago and have been making it ever since. I made this pasta all the time in college, because it’s easy and feeds a lot of people. There are very few ingredients in this sauce and the oven does all the work. I studied abroad in Italy for a semester and had some of the best pasta in the world. But honestly, I never found a vodka sauce as good as this one.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup vodka
- 2 (28 oz) cans peeled plum tomatoes (San Marzano are the best!)
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh oregano for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Coat the bottom of a large oven safe pan (such as a dutch oven) with olive oil over medium heat. Add in chopped onions and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in dried oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Then add 1 cup of vodka and cook down until vodka has reduced by at least half. While the vodka is reducing, drain 2 cans of peeled plum tomatoes.
Once vodka has reduced, add the tomatoes to the pan and begin mashing them into the vodka onion mixture. This can get very messy, so I would recommend wearing an apron. Once the tomatoes are broken down into the sauce, add 2 teaspoons of salt and a pinch of ground pepper and stir. Cover the pan with the lid and place in the oven for 1 ½ hours. Once sauce has finished cooking, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.
While sauce is cooling, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in a tablespoon of salt, followed by the pasta. Cook until al dente (depending on the brand of pasta, about 9 to 11 minutes). Drain pasta and set aside.
Add cooled tomato mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour sauce back into the pan over medium/low heat. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cream, depending on how rich and creamy you want it. Then add in the cooked pasta. Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh oregano.
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