Pasta in Tomato Vodka Sauce with Roasted Veggies

This pasta dinner combines all your favorite ingredients to not only provide a delicious meal but also clean out the fridge. Use whatever pasta and veggies you have on hand for a cost-effective din-din.

Course Main Course

Servings

Calories 397kcal

Ingredients

Pasta

3 cups pasta
salt

Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion roughly diced
2 tsp garlic, minced
½ cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes
½ cup vodka
3 tbsp tomato paste
¾ tsp salt
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup Parmesan grated
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Roasted Veggies

5 cups vegetables diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Garnish

Parmesan

Instructions

Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water, bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
After you start the pasta water, preheat the oven to 400 and toss the diced vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until softened and slightly caramelized.
Meanwhile heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Once warm, add the oil and onion. Saute for 4 minutes or until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the canned tomatoes, vodka, tomato paste, and salt. Turn the heat down to a medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes to cook out the alcohol.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the tomato mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the blended sauce, heavy cream, grated Parmesan, red pepper flakes and the reserved pasta water into the large saucepan used to cook the pasta. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the pasta, and cook for 1 minute more to coat. Add the red pepper flakes and more salt if needed.
Spoon the pasta mixture evenly into bowls. Top with roasted veggies, Parmesan, and if desired, red pepper flakes.

Notes

We try to use seasonal veggies for this recipe in our house, but red and yellow pepper, zucchini and cherry tomatoes are always a hit.
Afraid you're going to waste the rest of the heavy cream container? Then skip it! I tried it with 1% milk and it was still delish!!

DAIRY-FREE

Try canned coconut milk or skip the cream and the cheese. It will be a different kind of dish, but still tasty.

GLUTEN-FREE

Hmm... Replace with a gluten-free pasta or maybe a piece of roasted chicken? This sauce would be delicious over pretty much anything so get creative!

MEAT LOVERS

Add grilled or baked chicken breast to the final dish. Alternatively, browned crumbled Italian sausage may give the sauce an interesting twist.

Nutrition