Rigatoni alla Vodka

Rigatoni tossed in a creamy tomato vodka sauce with browned Italian sausage, freshly grated Parmesan, and basil.

This Broke Gourmet dinner feeds four for under $20.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 pound rigatoni

• About 12 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• ½ medium yellow onion, finely diced

• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

• ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

• 100 ml vodka (two 50 ml bottles)

• 1 cup heavy cream

• About ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

• Fresh basil, for serving

• Reserved pasta water, as needed

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Boil the rigatoni in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining.

2. Brown the sausage. Break it into small pieces in a large skillet. Once cooked through, transfer it to a plate and leave the browned bits in the pan.

3. Start the sauce. Heat the olive oil and butter in the same skillet. Cook the onion until soft, then stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes just until fragrant.

4. Cook the tomato paste. Stir it into the skillet and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until it deepens to a brick red.

5. Add the vodka and cream. Stir in the vodka, scraping up the browned bits, and let it reduce. Lower the heat and stir in the cream until the sauce is smooth.

6. Toss the pasta. Add the rigatoni to the sauce and toss. Add a splash of reserved pasta water as needed, then stir in the Parmesan. Fold in the browned sausage and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

7. Serve. Finish each bowl with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil.