Penne Russo a la Vodka

"Great sauce! Vodka sauces are so easy, but taste like you spent hours. I cut the amount of pasta in half and sauteed three cloves of minced garlic along with about 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion in t..." See morehe olive oil. I added 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes along with the vodka. Instead of the whole peeled tomatoes I used a 28 oz. can of chunky crushed tomatoes plus an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. After adding the crushed tomatoes & sauce I added the fresh basil, 1/4 tsp. of oregano, 1 tsp. of parsley, 1/2 tsp. of salt and 2 tsp. of sugar. I used a good vodka and light cream. The grated parmesan made it extra creamy. Instead of the proscuitto, we grilled some chorizo sausage and sliced that up over the penne pasta - poured the sauce over top. Great with a side of garlic bread and a salad!"

"The whole family gobbled this up! I doubled the prosciutto (wanted to use it up), and omitted the red pepper flakes for fear it would be too spicy for the children. I reduced the tomato mixture quite ..." See morea bit before adding the vodka and cream (used fat free 1/2&1/2)...probably 15-20 minutes. I also added 2 Tbsp capers and 1/4 frozen peas when I added the vodka and cream. I also made this with whole wheat penne. I did not add the basil as directed because of picky children, so I just topped the adults bowl with a few chopped basil leaves. A definite repeater in this house."

"I can see myself making this dish on a regular basis; it so easy and the ingredients so simple. My only problem with this dish was adding the cheese at the end before mixing with the pasta. I found ..." See morethat the melting cheese made my toppings of proscuitto, basil, & mushrooms stick and clump together. So I had clumps of delicious toppings tossed with my pasta. Next time, I'll toss the pasta with the sauce and add the cheese while I'm tossing, so it melts onto the pasta, binding toppings with pasta, and not toppings with each other."