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Rigatoni Vodka

rigatoni vodka in a pan with peas off to the side

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5 from 1 review

Rigatoni vodka is made extra delicious with the addition of peas and crispy prosciutto! A creamy pasta sauce with a little added crunch that’s ready to eat in about 40 minutes from start to finish!

Ingredients

4 cups mezzi rigatoni pasta
4 ounce package of prosciutto
1 cup frozen peas, cooked
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups half & half
6oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup vodka (this is just the size of a mini bottle)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 ladle of reserved boiling pasta water (in case the sauce ever gets too thick)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. To make the crispy prosciutto, line a baking sheet with foil, then top with a baking rack. Lightly spray the rack with cooking spray, then add the slices of prosciutto trying not to overlap any of the slices. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and place the prosciutto slices onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Once the prosciutto has cooled enough to safely touch, crumble the slices into bite-sized pieces.

2. While the prosciutto is baking, cook the mezzi rigatoni according to box directions. As the pasta is cooking, carefully reserve 1 ladle of water.

3. While the pasta is boiling, begin making the vodka sauce. In a medium pan over medium heat melt the butter then add the grated garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the flour and whisk until combined, cook about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate with the flour…cook another  minutes. Add the half & half and gently whisk to blend the tomato paste into the cream. Then, add the vodka and basil. Bring to light boil, then reduce heat and add the Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. If the sauce begins to thicken too much, add the reserved pasta water a little at a time.

4. To serve, add the rigatoni a little at a time to the sauce until you have the consistency you like. Mix in the peas. Serve into bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto and extra Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Notes

I always say to add the cooked pasta a little at a time to the finished sauce. If you’ve made too much pasta and you add it all at once it would mean you don’t have enough sauce to cover all of the noodles. So add in stages and stir to make sure all the noodles get enough sauce.