Penne With Vodka Sauce & Capicola

Submitted by AZPARZYCH

"Trying to find new pasta dishes besides the usual spaghetti and meatballs. I think this was originally posted in Eating Well Magazine."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 12 ounces whole wheat penne
• 2 ounces piece capicola or 2 ounces pancetta, finely diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup vodka
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil
• fresh ground pepper

directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Cook penne until just tender, 12 minutes or according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, cook capicola (or pancetta) in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes.
4. Drain on a paper towel.
5. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat; add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 1 minute.
6. Increase heat to high; add vodka and bring to a boil.
7. Boil until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes.
8. Stir in tomatoes, half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce and crushed red pepper to taste; reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
9. Drain the pasta; serve topped with the sauce and sprinkled with the capicola (or pancetta), basil and pepper.

Reviews

[lazyme]

Yum. I really enjoyed this simple dish. I used pancetta and loved the kick from the red pepper flakes. Thanks, AZ for sharing a nice winner. Made for Think Pink tag.

 

[Karen Elizabeth]

Very much enjoyed, thank you! I didn't look closely enough and used spaghetti rather than penne, my mistake, but equally delicious! I also had to use bacon, fried and crumbled, again, it was very good. We really enjoyed this rich sauce with a bit of a kick! :) I used my own oven-roasted tomatoes, and this was a really good dinner, thank you! Made for PRMR tag game.

 

[Noo8820]

I really enjoyed this...the warmth of the vodka and the zip of the chilli flakes....mmmm...<br/>and the salt of the pancetta was great alongside the sweetness of the tomato sauce ( I whizzed my tinned tomatoes to make the sauce really smooth!).<br/>A simple, but elegant meal...thanks!