Penne with Vodka Blush Sauce

I remember making this recipe for the first time in the first house Chris and I owned. I had been wanting to try making this because, when student teaching, one of the assistants must've made Vodka Penne practically every week. She'd come in and just RAVE about how good Vodka Penne was. Come to think of it, she probably had more vodka herself than penne, if you know what I mean, but, whatever, it still sounded good! I can't remember for the life of me where I got the recipe, but I do remember that I got it one one of those recipe search websites online. This is a great recipe for leftovers - Chris and I will eat dinner and have enough for probably another dinner and a few servings for me to bring into school for lunch. Yum! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 lb penne pasta, cooked aldente (I used ziti because I didn't have any penne in the house)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (I use my Pampered Chef Food Chopper for this because it keeps my eyes from watering and is super fast)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped (feel free to use 1-2 more cloves depending on how much you like garlic)
2 (28 ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes (I used four 14.25 ounce cans of whole tomatoes - I like the tomatoes to be more chunky and don't mind mashing them up with a wooden spoon)
1 pinch of hot pepper flakes
3/4 cups of vodka (resist any urge to put more in - it'll taste awful with more! trust me!)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped (or just throw in some dehydrated parsley - fresh is better, but work with what you've got)
3/4 cup of heavy cream
parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions
1. Put the olive oil into the pan and add the onions and garlic.

Look! I took a picture for you:



2. Turn on the heat to medium-low and gently cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes.

4. Raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil.

Another picture!



5. Add the vodka and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes over medium-low heat.

6. Add the cream and lower the heat. Add drained pasta and toss in parsley.

7. Stir to coat well and grate a generous amount of parmesan into the pasta using a grater. (I use this one . It's awesome!)

8. Serve immediately sprinked with more cheese (yum!).



Enjoy!!