Easy Vodka Sauce
Enjoy Perfect Pasta
This is a recipe for Easy Vodka Sauce I have been making for years. It is not an overly complicated, intricate recipe but it is easy and delicious.
You might love vodka sauce, as many of us do, but hesitate to make it yourself. It seems like it’d be difficult to make. And does vodka sauce actually have vodka in it, or is that just a name?
It does… right? But it’s supposed to cook off or something?
When I asked the original creator for the recipe I couldn’t believe that it was really so easy. I made some adjustments over the years and now I think that it is practically perfect. This Easy Vodka Sauce is a delicious indulgence your family will love.
Is Vodka Sauce Healthy?
I feel I should make it clear that this Easy Vodka Sauce is not healthy. It’s made with lots of butter, cream, sausage, and cheese.
It’s a recipe that is meant for an occasional indulgence. It is in fact, however, healthy for the soul. The full recipe for this sauce is below.
Easy Vodka Sauce
An easy vodka sauce that is rich and delicious. This recipe cooks up quickly. It is a decadent treat to make for your family a couple of times a year.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of butter
- 1 C of heavy whipping cream
- 2 C of good quality parmesan cheese, don’t use the powdered stuff.
- 1 24 ounce jar of marinara sauce, I use the one from Aldi.
- 1 12 ounce jar of marinated, quartered artichoke hearts
- 1 C of cheap vodka
- 1 lb of Italian sausage, casings removed.
- 1 box of cooked pasta, I prefer penne or rigatoni for this recipe.
- Red pepper flake, to taste
Instructions
- In a deep skillet or stock pot, melt your two sticks of butter on medium heat. Make sure it doesn’t brown.
- Add in your Italian sausage that has been removed from the casings. Break up with a spoon and cook it all the way through. The sausage can get a little crispy.
- Add the jar of artichoke hearts. I do not drain them, you can, but I think the marinade adds flavor. Cook them with the sausage until they are a little browned.
- Add the vodka to the pot and let the sausage and artichokes simmer in it for 15 minutes.
- Add the marinara sauce and then add a little hot water to the jar, replace the lid, shake well to get all the marinara sauce out and add to the pot. Let it simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Next you want to add the heavy whipping cream, add a little at a time until it is a pink color. You may or may not need to add all of the whipping cream and/or you may need to add a little more. When it reaches a pink color add the red pepper flake to taste and allow it all to simmer for another 15 minutes more.
- When the mixture has simmered for the final 15 minutes, it should be thicker, not too thick, but also not watery. If it isn’t thick enough let it simmer for a few minutes more.
- Remove from the heat and add the parmesan in and stir well until it is melted into the sauce.
- Toss with your favorite pasta and top with more parmesan cheese and red pepper flake.
Does Vodka Sauce Have Vodka In It?
If you read through this recipe you can see that vodka sauce, as the name suggests, does indeed have vodka in it. It cooks off during the process, however.
This Easy Vodka Sauce includes very simple ingredients that are fairly affordable. While you should use cheap vodka, try to use a pretty good quality parmesan for this recipe that I shred myself. This parmesan from Aldi is affordable and decent quality.
I also like to chop up my artichokes really small, as I am not a huge fan of the texture of artichokes. If you love artichokes, then you can just rough chop them or leave them whole.
Can you make Vodka Sauce Heathy?
I thought I already explained that Vodka Sauce is not healthy! That being said, it is certainly possible to at least add in some veggies.
The penne with vodka sauce in the above picture was made at a time where I had way too much cauliflower. While that didn’t undo all the cream and cheese, it at least put some more vitamins in there!
If you’re in more of a ravioli mood, might I recommend taking a look at my Ravioli Sauce?
Summer Pasta
If you love pasta like we do, try this delicious Sausage and Peppers Summer Pasta Salad. It’s a really great and delicious salad for Summer.
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Spinach and Artichoke Vodka Sauce | Sarcastic Cooking
May 19, 2020 at 2:00 pm
[…] had been eyeing The Tipsy Housewife’s easy vodka sauce with artichokes and Italian sausage for a […]