Vodka Cream Sauce

We tend to keep several jarred sauces in our pantry for nights when I need to whip dinner up in a matter of minutes. Those sauces are good to have on hand and if I have the time I'll add extra veggies or protein to them, but creating a sauce (almost) from scratch always tastes so much better.

I've been making this one for a couple years now and I'm just now getting around to posting it. I feel the need to apologize for the iPhone picture, but at the same time I'm also not sorry. I love taking photos of food, but once dinnertime rolls around I just want to eat and relax with my husband! I'm working on posting more of our favorite recipes, which means there will be more iPhone pictures in the future. I'm sorry I'm not really that sorry.

What I'm actually really sorry for is not sharing this with you sooner. This is one of those meals that's hearty and flavorful enough to stand all on its own. Sometimes if I'm really feeling ambitious, I'll add shrimp to the mix (throw them in the sauce just before adding the cream so they'll have time to cook) or my new favorite way is to make it with bacon*. Put this on your menu and you definitely won't be sorry you made it!

Vodka Cream Sauce 

adapted from Cooking Light

serves 4

Ingredients:
8 ounces pasta of your choice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you want it spicy!)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (4 ounces) vodka
1/4 cup chicken (or veggie) broth
1 24-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cream (whipping, heavy, half & half; fat free works fine, too)
3 tablespoons (about 10 leaves), fresh basil, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, set aside, and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large pot or skillet with high sides. Add onion; saute until soft and tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and black pepper; saute 1 minute. Add vodka; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until liquid has reduced by half (if the vodka reduces rather quickly I sometimes add an extra splash or two just for kicks). Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a blender), process until smooth. (If you used a large blender, return mixture to pan.) Stir in cream; cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly until no white streaks remain. Stir in cooked pasta, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and homemade bread.

*To add bacon: Omit olive oil; dice 4-6 slices of bacon and cook until brown and crispy in the skillet before adding onion. Remove cooked bacon to paper towels and let drain. Using the bacon fat, cook onions and follow the rest of the recipe. Add cooked bacon pieces to the sauce before adding cream.

Spicy Pesto

We love pasta in our household and are always looking for new twists to keep things tasty and interesting. So the second we saw this recipe featured on Food Network we knew we had to try it. This particular pesto is packed with bold and unique flavors that creates an unbelievable blend of deliciousness. Seriously, I started nibbling on it by the spoonful while I waited for the pasta to cook!

It's made with spinach, arugula, walnuts, garlic, cheese, oil, and is kicked up a notch with a jalapeno. The rich arugula flavor comes through nicely without being bitter, and the spiciness was perfect. If you're worried about the heat being too powerful, omit the seeds from the pepper. And if you're serving this with pasta, pick a noodle that has ridges or curves (fusilli, penne, rigatoni, rotini, etc.) so the sauce can stick and cling to the pasta.

The recipe below makes plenty of pesto, so freeze leftovers in an ice cube tray with olive oil drizzled over it. Once frozen, pop them out and continue freezing the cubes in a Ziploc bag—they'll be perfect for nights when you need a quick and easy meal!

Spicy Pesto

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 (2-inch) green jalapeno pepper, stemmed and coarsely chopped (omit seeds for milder flavor)
• 2 cups grated Parmesan/Reggiano cheese (Asiago or regular Parmesan works great, too)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces baby spinach
• 3 ounces arugula
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In a food processor*, combine walnuts, garlic, jalapeno, cheese, salt and pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add spinach and arugula and process until blended. With machine running, gradually the olive oil.  

*We used a 14-cup processor and had to smash the spinach and arugula in there, so if you have a smaller food processor you may need to make it in a couple batches.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

This dish is super easy and incredibly yummy. Honestly you could add whatever you want to this dish and it would be amazing. It's sturdy enough to stand alone with just the pasta and sauce or could easily transition into a giant casserole with meat and veggies. I originally started making Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta but every time I opened the fridge I found something else I wanted to add. I truly can't remember a time I followed a recipe word for word- it's a problem I know. Her recipe is perfect left alone, I just have a tendency to make things my own and really enjoyed it. I hope you do too!!

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Ingredients:
1lb Spaghetti (or your favorite noodle)
1 large or 2 small Lemons
Zest of 1 Lemon
4 cloves of Garlic
3 Tbsp Butter
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup low fat Sour Cream
4 0z low fat Cream Cheese
Salt to taste
1 pkg Chicken Sausage (I used roasted garlic and herb)
2 cups Broccoli (steamed or blanched)
4 Green Onions- chopped
Parmesan- as desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat. When the butter is melted add minced garlic and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the skillet. Stir in sour cream and cream cheese. Add zest and salt. Turn off heat. Add cooked pasta, steamed broccoli, and green onion to skillet and toss to coat. Add cooked sausage now or after baked. Transfer to an oven safe dish, cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 or so minutes- don't let the pasta dry out. Remove from the oven and top with parmesan cheese and more lemon juice.

Gnocchi with Onion Cream Sauce

I got a bottle of Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette as a gift yesterday. I didn't want it to just be used on salad, so I though it just might make a great pasta sauce. When I first typed Onion Cream Sauce I deleted it and tried to think of a better name because it sounds nasty. But that's what it is! And it's not nasty it's delicious. So I'm going to leave it at that and not worry about how it sounds. The gnocchi could easily stand alone as an entree but I served it as a side dish to a pan fried steak and roasted parmesan broccoli. So good! Enjoy!

Onion Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/3 cup low fat sour cream
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic
4 Tbsp Onion Vinaigrette (or other thick dressing)

Mix ingredients to combine and refrigerate unless using immediately. Boil gnocchi and serve with heated sauce. I heated the sauce in the same pan used to cook the steaks. It gives the sauce a deeper, and in my case buttery flavor. Top the gnocchi with parmesan cheese. Eat it on it's own or make it a side dish, enjoy!