Vodka Pasta Sauce

This is my sister’s recipe. The directions below are as she wrote them. Step 2 is the best part of the recipe, in my opinion!

Serve this sauce with your favorite pasta. This recipe makes enough for about 3 pounds of pasta. Freeze what you don’t use for a quick and easy dinner on another day! Don’t wait for a party to enjoy this delicious pasta dish.

If you’re feeding a crowd, you can cover all 3 pounds of pasta with this batch of sauce in a roaster oven. Slide raw lasagna noodles along the sides to keep the edges from burning, place a sheet of foil loosely over the top of the pasta, and cook at 150 until dinnertime.

Makes enough to cover about 3 pounds of pasta.

4 oz. pancetta, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
4 oz. vodka
8 oz. butter
16 oz. heavy cream (NOTE:  half-and-half also works)
48 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp. white pepper
4 oz. parmesan cheese

1. Sauté pancetta with onions until onions brown. (I add 2 oz. of the butter in this step)
2. Add vodka – slowly (it says no more than 2 oz. at a time or flames will shoot up. This has never happened to me) (unfortunately)
3. Add butter and stir until butter is melted.
4. Add heavy cream and reduce over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add parmesan cheese just before mixing with pasta.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

This can be frozen.

Nutrition information does not include pasta.