Vodka Rigatoni

This vodka rigatoni recipe is made with a quick and simple homemade vodka sauce and is a great way to switch up your normal pasta night recipe. 

*THIS RECIPE IS PART OF THE 30 MINUTE DINNER CHALLENGE* Don’t know what I’m talking about? See this post for details. Challenge ends April 30, 2019. 

Vodka rigatoni is going down today, as in rigatoni with VODKA in it! Don’t freak out—I promise you can’t taste it. I’m sure most of us have had store-bought vodka sauce before, right? It wasn’t until recently that I checked the ingredients and noticed there’s actual vodka in it. I know, it says it right in the name, but I never thought you could pair vodka with tomatoes. I blame my narrow-minded view of vodka on college, but that’s a whole other topic. 

Growing up, we ate pasta at least once a week. It was a quick and easy dinner, and I still view pasta that way today. However, sometimes Miguel and I get tired of eating pasta with regular red sauce, and when that happens I know it’s time to switch it up. 

This vodka rigatoni recipe is so simple and so good thanks to the homemade sauce. I hope you love it as much as we did!

VODKA RIGATONI INGREDIENTS

• olive oil
• garlic
• crushed tomatoes
• milk
• vodka
• parsley
• salt
• red pepper flakes
• parmesan cheese 

HOW TO MAKE RIGATONI WITH VODKA SAUCE

Like I mentioned, you’re going to make the sauce and while the sauce is simmering, you’ll cook the pasta. 

Step 1: add olive oil and garlic to a dutch oven or large pot and stir for 2 minutes over medium heat or until the garlic is fragrant. 

Step 2: pour in the crushed tomatoes, milk and vodka and stir to combine. Make sure to get crushed tomatoes vs. diced tomatoes if you can, and I prefer the fire roasted tomatoes because I think they add a little more flavor. Last, stir in the parsley, salt and red pepper flakes and then place a lid on the pot and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes or so. 

Step 3: While the sauce is simmering, bring a separate pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta. 

Step 4: By now the sauce should be good, so you can add the cheese in slowly and stir. You can either leave the sauce as-is, or, if you want the sauce to be super smooth like I did, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until it’s smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the sauce into your blender and blend until smooth. 

The final step is to pour the sauce over the pasta, top it with extra cheese and red pepper flakes and EAT UP! Remember, if you make this recipe within the month of April 2019 and tag me on Instagram, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win an Amazon gift card. 

OTHER ALMOND EATER PASTA RECIPES:

• bacon parmesan pasta
• tomato spaghetti squash pasta
• garlic zucchini noodle pasta 

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