Spaghetti with Vodka Sauce

Erin, Happy Monday! Can you believe that Christmas is in only two weeks, time has been flying by! I cannot believe that I have been living in DC for 6 months now, crazy thought. With this being my last week at the office, I knew stress might eventually get the best of me. So, I wanted to try cooking easy meals this week. I found this recipe for a "spiked pasta" and it looked fantastic. And sure enough, it was!

Sam absolutely loved it. I thought it was a little too spicy for me, so next time I am going to cut the red pepper in half.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound spaghetti pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Scant 3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup vodka

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup whipping cream

What to do:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. 

3. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. 

4. Add vodka and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. 

5. Stir in scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly.

6. Transfer the mixture into a food processor or blender and puree. Return tomato mixture to pan.

7. Mix in cream, then cook the sauce for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

8. Pour sauce over pasta, top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!