Pasta With Pink Vodka Sauce and Sausage

This is one that I adopted from Emeril. It's actually a recipe I've been making for years and then found his. I always use a great quality hot turkey or hot chicken italian sausage for this and find that it's just as good as the real deal, however, the true recipe calls for real hot italian sausage. I make it a bit spicier and usually serve this with penne or farfalle. If I don't spice it up too much, even my 2 and 4 year old love this one.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6

Ingredients

• 1  lb spaghetti
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  lb  hot Italian turkey sausage, casing removed and crumbled
• 1  cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 6  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 6  tablespoons vodka
• 6  tablespoons heavy cream
• 3  tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• 1⁄2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• 1  sprig fresh basil, for garnish

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until browned and all pink has disappeared, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the vodka and cook until the sauce reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
3. Toss the sauce with the pasta to coat evenly and transfer to a pasta bowl for serving. Top with cheese and sprig of basil and serve immediately.