Recipe
Vodka Rigatoni with Prosciutto
The internet's favorite pasta, and for once the internet is right. A silky tomato cream sauce with just enough vodka to make the flavors pop, and crispy prosciutto on top because we are not animals. This is a weeknight flex that tastes like a restaurant.
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni (the ridges hold the sauce, that's the point)
- 6 oz prosciutto, torn in strips
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan, grated, plus more for serving
- Basil, olive oil, salt
Steps
- Crisp the prosciutto in olive oil until it shatters. Set aside on paper towels. In the same pan, soften the onion, then garlic and pepper flakes for 30 seconds. Pour in the vodka and let it reduce by half, scraping the pan. You are cooking off the alcohol and keeping the bite that wakes up the tomatoes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, simmer 10 minutes until it thickens slightly. Stir in the cream, then the parmesan off the heat. Salt to taste. It should be silky, pink-orange, and glossy.
- Boil the rigatoni in aggressively salted water until just shy of al dente. Drag it into the sauce with a cup of pasta water and toss hard for 2 minutes until every ridge is coated. The sauce should cling, not pool.
Moe Train's tip: The pasta water is the difference between sauce sitting on pasta and sauce becoming one with it. Don't skip the hard toss.