As a food blogger, you try so many fantastic recipes, but never really get around to making them again because you are trying to come up with new and creative ideas for the blog. I know many deal with this issue, and I am also guilty of it. I have been going through some of my older recipes and looking to improve my photos. I made this sausage and vodka pasta sauce recipe many months ago and forgot to post it. It is a recipe that Mr. TCW really enjoys, and it is so easy, it is one of those meals that I have made repeatedly.
I know many look for fast and simple recipes, and this sausage and vodka pasta sauce is one of them. There is little cooking time and realistically, you could make the sauce ahead of time and then make the pasta when needed. Don't let the simplicity detour you, this recipe is packed full of bold flavors!
📖 Recipe
Sausage and Vodka Pasta Sauce
Quick, easy, and minimal prep required, this sausage and vodka pasta sauce can be served over gluten-free pasta to make the dish wheat free!
Ingredients
- 1 lb uncooked pasta
- 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp. red chili flakes
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 lb sausages (I used 5 hot and spicy)
- 2 tbsp. vodka (make sure your vodka is gluten-free for a GF recipe.)
- ¼ - ½ cup cream of your choice (18% and 35% work well, just adjust ratio accordingly.)
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large pan and set over medium heat. Remove sausage from casings and crumble into pan with olive oil. Add onions and cook for a couple of minutes or until you see some browning on the sausages.
- Add garlic and continue to cook until the outside of sausage is browned. Season with salt and pepper.
- When sausage is browned, add in dried oregano, diced tomatoes with juice and season accordingly. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until sausage is cooked completely.
- Add vodka and cream and once again bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Cook your pasta in salted water until al dente. Serve with pasta sauce!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1025Total Fat: 57gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 36gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 1077mgCarbohydrates: 93gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 30g
I used hot Italian sausages because Mr. TCW loves spicy. If you are not a spice lover, you could use mild or another type of sausage. Also, ½ tsp. red chili flakes is nothing for us, but others may want to reduce it. Otherwise, the recipe is good to go and sure to please the family! Have a gluten-free guest? Serve the sausage and vodka pasta sauce over gluten-free products and you have a winner!
Steve
regarding the pasta in vodka sauce, although the amount of vodka used is nominal, please note: many vodkas contain gluten. Only those which are made solely from a potato mash are gluten free.
Kacey
That is a great point, Steve. While I used a gluten-free vodka, I will edit the recipe box to let people know.
Stephanie @ Back for Seconds
This is the kind of meal my whole family will love! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Kacey
I know a lot of families like quick and easy meals, so this one fits the bill 🙂
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats
Oh my gosh... totally dying over this recipe. It has all things delicious... and that sauce! Wow!
Kacey
I can never photograph pasta dishes, but the sauce was too hard to pass up on!
Kirsten
Kacey,
Pasta is my go to meal when I'm just not feeling anything 'blogworthy'! This looks delicious, and a great use for the slow roasted tomatoes I put up last fall.
thanks!
Kacey
I totally agree, Kirsten. Pasta dishes are usually quick and easy, and great when I do not want to be thinking about the blog 🙂
Mischa @ Accidental Farm Wife
This looks wonderful, and so simple! Love when I rediscover a recipe I love, but forgot and hadn't made in a long time!
Kacey
I bet many food bloggers feel the same! We tend to push aside old recipes, even though they are just as great as the most recent posts.
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner
This looks amazing!
Kacey
Thanks, Tina!
taylor @ greens & chocolate
That sauce!! Looks so good. I love remaking old recipes!
Kacey
Same here! It is also a great way to see how you have evolved over the course of the blog.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
I eat and make a lot of pasta - but never have had it with vodka before. I must make this sauce!
Kacey
The vodka is so subtle, but it really adds a nice element to the sauce!
Annie @Maebells
Pasta is always a winner in our house!! I love creamy comforting dishes like this!
Kacey
Pasta is the way to go when you do not want something extravagant, yet something wholesome and tasty!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow
I have everything I need to make this recipe in my fridge, freezer, and pantry, so this goes on the menu for asap! I may have to up the vodka a tad or maybe just pour myself a stiff drink as I stir - either way, it's going to be a fine night in my kitchen.
Kacey
LOL, I say go for it! I had to borrow vodka off my mother-in-law because our bottle mysteriously emptied pretty quick...
Melanie | Melanie Makes
This sounds amazing! Can't wait to give it a try as my husband loves vodka sauce and is a huge meat eater - the perfect combination!
Kacey
Our husbands may be one and the same person 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love trying new pasta recipes. I've never had a vodka sauce....sounds and looks sooooo good.
Kacey
I think you could add vodka to just about any sauce and couldn't go wrong!
Ginny McMeans
I have never had vodka sauce and have ALWAYS wanted to try it. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Michelle Blackwood
Wow, so lovely. You can't go wrong with pasta!
Becky | The Cookie Rookie
Wow! I want this for dinner tonight! Looks delish!
Nutmeg Nanny
I LOVE vodka pasta sauce! Usually I have it with chicken or shrimp but I love the idea of using sausage.
Kacey
That is a great idea using other meats! I will have to surprise my husband one day.
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files
I hate how we never remake some of our own recipes...despite how tasty they are! And I am glad you remade this one...it looks so perfect for a Friday night dinner!
Kacey
It is like those recipes our soon pushed to the back of our minds... and blogs!
Pasquale Lamperelli
I love making a vodka sauce. This and a Marsala sauce are the two recipes my wife consistently asks me to make. If I can make one suggestion (I hope you don’t mind). You should use a bit more vodka and when you use any alcohol in a recipe you should cook the alcohol off. You can sauté your sausage and onions and then add your vodka. Get the vodka to simmer nicely. You will see it cook down by half (this is normal). Keep smelling the evaporating steam, it will tell you when the alcohol is cooked off. When you no longer have a strong smell of vodka, it is cooked off and ready for the next step.
Katie
This was better than any penne dish I have had in an Italian restaurant. I eat out a lot and cook a lot so, that is saying something! Also it was so easy to prepare. It was so good it actually prompted me to write my first comment on a Pinterest recipe. I did make minor adjustments based on what I had on hand. I omitted the onions because I used diced tomatoes with celery, onion and green peppers. Also added one tablespoon of concentrated tomato paste from a tube.