Serve a bowl of this vodka pasta for delicious comfort food that is not heavy. The creamy tomato sauce gets an extra kick of flavor from the vodka and melted down onions. Don’t worry, the vodka boils off so kids will love this dish as well. I added shrimp for some extra protein, but feel free to leave it out for a vegetarian version or replace it with cooked chicken. And this is even better served with a little shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese.
Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Shrimp
Servings: 6
Active time: 1 hour
Cooking time: about 45 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (215 g) finely chopped yellow or white onions
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup (240 ml) vodka
1 28-ounce (800 g) can crushed tomatoes
24-26 raw shrimp, deveined
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
¾ cup (100 g) frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup basil leaves, rinsed and torn into small pieces
1-pound dried farfalle pasta (or penne, rigatoni, etc)
In a large, deep skillet (it will need to hold all the sauce), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
Carefully pour in the vodka and cook for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the skillet for any browned bits. Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water. Set aside and let drain.
Uncover the sauce and simmer another 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Stir in raw shrimp,
cream, and peas. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened and the shrimp are cooked. Stir in the basil, taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed.
Put the pasta back into the large pot. Pour the sauce and shrimp over the pasta and toss gently until the pasta is evenly coated. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water. Serve hot with some grated parmesan or pecorino cheese. This can be made ahead and reheated on the stovetop the next day.
And bon appétit!
