Penne with Vodka Sauce

It probably was not until I met my wife when I began to eat pasta dishes. We would go out to eat at an Italian restaurant and she would literally get excited for things like pasta carbonara, or fettucine alfredo, while I on the other hand would order a steak, or something non-pasta related.  It was soon after experiencing my wife’s excitement that I would soon begin to learn how great pasta dishes can be. This excitement allowed me to begin making, or recreating dishes that my wife really enjoyed.

It was not too long ago when we paid our weekend visit to our cousin’s house for a family style dinner. After all, these get togethers are quiet common and it is very unusual when some family member is not hosting a dinner party on any given week. Our cousins do an excellent job at making pasta dishes, and after watching and learning a bit about their techniques, I soon realized that a common ingredient is really reserving a bit of the pasta water, and using a bit of it in making the sauce. But there was one dish, that Charmaigne made that was dynamite, and one that everyone loved; penne vodka.

Since I have been making my sauce on a weekly basis to be used in homemade pizzas, or simply pasta dishes, I thought to myself, let’s make penne vodka! This super simple recipe yields great flavors to be added to penne pasta.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cup of vodka
• 1 lb of penne pasta, cooked al dente

See how simple these ingredients are? Let’s get started.

Begin by boiling a large pot of water, and add a generous amount of salt, roughly 2 tablespoons. Add the pasta, and cooked until it is al dente, roughly 9-10 minutes.

During this time, add the sauce and vodka to a sauce pot and cook on medium heat and it is heated through. Add the cheese and cream, and mix well. Cover, reduce the heat, and stir from time to time.

Drain your pasta, adding it back to the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well. Plate and serve. It’s just that easy, and the flavors are out of this world.

Question for you. What is your favorite pasta dish?