pasta alla vodka

Goes well with kale caesar salad. Make ahead: To make the sauce ahead of time (up to 72 hours), you can go ahead and do everything except for adding the pasta cooking water. When it’s dinner time, reheat the sauce over medium heat, cook your pasta, and stir in the pasta cooking water then the cooked pasta. See more prep-ahead notes in the “main event” section of my NYE menu above! Stock your freezer: This vodka sauce freezes beautifully. Double the recipe and freeze half for later! Let it cool completely (but don’t leave it out for more than 4 hours, since it’s cream-based), then put it in a Ziploc bag or freezable container and store it in the freezer for 3-6 months. When you’re ready to cook it, you can put the frozen sauce in the fridge to thaw overnight, then stir it in a large pot over medium heat to rewarm. Stir in the pasta and pasta cooking water and enjoy! If you forgot or are pressed for time, you can also just throw the frozen sauce in a large pot with a splash of water, cover, and cook on medium until it’s warm, whisking occasionally. Cooking for one or two: Make the entire batch of sauce and freeze half! Cook only 8 ounces of pasta, drain, then return it to the pot you cooked it in. Add about half of the sauce to the pot with several tablespoons of pasta cooking water, until it’s clinging to each piece of pasta and is as saucy as you want it. For the salad, simply halve the recipe.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons of kosher salt in the water is my general rule of thumb!) to a boil and cook 1 pound of tubular pasta until al dente (read the box to find your pasta’s ideal cook time!). **RESERVE 2 CUPS OF THE COOKING LIQUID BEFORE YOU DRAIN THE PASTA!! I’M YELLING AT YOU BECAUSE EVERYONE ALWAYS FORGETS TO DO THIS AND IT’S VERY IMPORTANT!** Once you’ve reserved 2 cups cooking liquid, drain the pasta and set aside (don’t rinse it! It’s fine if it looks like it’s clumping together!).

Step 2

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Cook 1 minced shallot, 4 minced garlic cloves and a big pinch of salt until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in 6 ounces tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the paste and shallots have combined into a nice chunky paste, and it is turning a nice deep red color, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 4

Stir in 1/4 cup vodka and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, and 1 big pinch of salt until smooth. You might need to use a whisk to get any clumps out. Stir in the cooked pasta and a small amount of pasta cooking liquid. Add more cooking liquid a splash at a time as needed for the sauce to be very thick and cling to each noodle perfectly (I usually use between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup). Taste and season with kosher salt as needed.

Step 5

Serve and garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil and more grated Parmesan.

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