Penne alla Vodka With Sausage

5 from 2 votes

Penne alla Vodka With Sausage

This penne alla vodka with sausage recipe is a restaurant-quality meal that's easy, really quick, and uses minimal ingredients. The silky tomato sauce is so rich in flavor!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: penne alla vodka with italian sausage

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1 tablespoon butter
16 ounces Italian sausage
1/2 small onion chopped finely
1 clove garlic minced
1/3 cup vodka
1/3 cup tomato paste see note
1 cup heavy/whipping cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh basil, sliced thin optional, to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste

Instructions

Boil a generously salted pot of water for the penne and cook it al dente according to package directions.
Meanwhile, add the butter, sausage meat, and onions to a skillet over medium-high heat and cook for 7-10 minutes or until nicely browned, breaking the sausage up with your spoon as you go along. Drain excess fat.
Stir in the garlic and vodka, and let the sauce bubble for 30 seconds or so.
Stir in the tomato paste and cream until you've got a smooth mixture.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Let the sauce warm through and thicken up to your liking.
Season with salt & pepper as needed. Stir in the fresh basil if using. Toss with the drained pasta (if needed, thin the sauce out a bit with a splash of hot pasta water prior to draining it). Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

I don't recommend subbing the heavy cream for something like milk or half-and-half because the sauce is likely to curdle and/or end up thinner.
I recommend using a good quality, double concentrated tomato paste (generally found in tubes). Mutti and DeLallo are good brands that I typically use.
Buy bulk Italian sausage or sausage links and take the meat out of the casings.

Nutrition