How Did Vodka Sauce Develop?

There are varied opinions as to its origin. Some say it was created in Rome to boost vodka, and that could be true, but it doesn’t feel very Italy Italian to me. Others report that it started at a restaurant in New York City, when a Chef Luigi Franzese of Orsini’s, needed to thin a sauce, and added vodka and heavy cream.

I recently ate at a new beautiful Italian restaurant in Nashville which served a most delicious vodka sauce, and it was my inspiration to make it again and put a spin on it, adding sausage.

A good tomato sauce has very few ingredients in it. That’s an Italian way of cooking. Onions drive the flavor more than garlic (outside of a few exceptions) and that’s true of this sauce, which uses an entire onion, finely chopped.

What is Vodka Sauce

It’s very simple. Vodka sauce is a tomato sauce with onion, vodka, heavy cream and some red pepper flakes.

Sausage is an option and one we especially like, serving this on rigatoni or penne pasta.

Process

Gather ingredients.

• Italian Sausage
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Onion
• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Vodka
• Parsley
• Heavy Cream
• Pecorino Cheese
• Red Chili Flakes

Cook loose Italian sausage in same pot you will make the sauce. Crumble into small bite sized pieces. Add diced onion for a few minutes in same pot, then add garlic.

TIP: If you are using whole tomatoes as I do, blend them first. The flavor is best with whole marzano canned tomatoes, but I use a stick blender to make a puree.

Add tomatoes to the pot. Follow with the fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and cook for twenty minutes. Add vodka and cook another 30 minutes on low, making sure the alcohol is burned off. Add in heavy cream, followed by pecorino or parmesan cheese. Cook pasta al dente. Add sauce to pasta. Add the red chili flakes (to taste). You may have more sauce than needed, which can be saved or frozen. Serve with more Pecorino or Parmesan cheese at the table.

More Pasta Recipes

• My Favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipes
• Rigatoni with White Beans
• Hearty Rigatoni with Beef
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• How to Cook Pasta Like an Italian

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Vodka Sauce

Vodka Tomato cream sauce with rigatoni

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium onion small dice
• 1 pound loose Italian sausage
• 1 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup vodka
• handful fresh parsley
• few fresh basil leaves if you have it, don’t use dried
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup parmesan cheese or pecorino divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni (small size)

Instructions

• Blend tomatoes to a sauce. I use a stick blender to do this. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil and butter in large sauce pan. Saute loose sausage until cooked through.

  Add diced onion for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, and sautè about a minute.
• Add tomatoes that have been blended to a puree.
• Add in fresh herbs such as parsley and basil (remove later)
• Cook for twenty minutes.
• Add in vodka.
• Stir, simmering on low for twenty or more minutes. Taste to make sure alcohol has burned off before adding in cream.
• Add in heavy cream. Stir.
  
• Stir in a 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• Add in crushed red pepper.
  
• Cook pasta according to directions for al dente.
• Serve pasta in large bowl, and add just enough of the sauce you need, making sure to scoop up the sausage into the bowl. You may have some sauce left over.
  
• Serve with more parmesan or pecorino cheese.
  

The post Best Vodka Sauce Recipe with Sausage appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

There are a lot of different dishes one can do with beef cubes, but usually we don’t think of making a hearty pasta beef dish, but this hits all the boxes. Pasta lovers and meat lovers get a bowl that is sure to please and makes a cold winter more palatable.

Ingredients

The list might look long, but these are items you most likely have in your pantry.

• beef cubes,
• carrots,
• onion
• celery
• beef broth
• wine
• canned tomatoes
• beans (optional)
• short rigatoni
• pecorino
• herbs

• Begin by browning beef cubes. I think it’s important to trim any fat after browning. Enough of the fat will be in the pan and can be deglazed.
• Soffrito: Chop onion, carrots, celery, as this is the go to for starting almost any soup or stew to build flavor.
• Use boxed organic beef broth, canned tomatoes, white beans and a little red wine.
• Short rigatoni make the perfect replacement for potatoes, which makes this a stew and not a soup. The rigatoni are cooked right in the pot, soaking up the broth, absorbing flavor and making this a hefty stew. You could use penne pasta also.

Variations

• You could make a similar dish with a pot roast, or even change the meat around and use boneless pork chops.
• Switch out the pasta to a different macaroni like penne.
• Add dollops of ricotta cheese!

More Dishes with Beef Cubes

• Beef Ragu
• Italian Beef Stew
• Irish Stew
• Beef Cabbage Soup
• Tomato Beef Soup with Einkorn Berries
• Beef Macaroni Soup

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Beef Rigatoni

Beef Rigatoni is a cross between a soup and a stew, hearty and true comfort food.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword beef cubes, beef rigatoni, rigatoni

Ingredients

• 2 carrots diced
• 2 celery diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 pound beef cubes
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup Italian San Marzano Tomatoes
• 1/2 pound rigatoni
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano grated
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 bay leaf
• salt, pepper for seasoning

Instructions

• Make sure meat is dry (use paper towel) so it will brown better. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. I used a dutch oven. Add beef cubes and brown. Do this in stages because you don't want to crowd the pan.
• Remove meat to a plate and set aside.
• Add in vegetables Saute for a few minutes.
• Deglaze pot with the wine.
• Crush the tomatoes with your hand and add to pot.
• Add beef pack to pot, along with broth, bay leaf.
• Braise the beef for two hours or until tender.
• Rinse beans in cold water. Add to pot.
• Once the beef is tender, add in pasta. The pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid. If you find there's not enough liquid in pot for pasta, add some water or more broth. Make sure the soup is boiling before adding in the pasta. Cook until pasta is done. It will absorb the broth and and the starch will thicken it into a nice sauce.
• Serve with pecorino romano and any sprinkle of herbs you like.
• Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper only if needed.

The post Hearty Italian Beef Rigatoni appeared first on Spinach Tiger.