Fettuccine with Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce [V, mGF]

This creamy tomato vodka sauce fills the heart and body with warmth and comfort.

I made a vodka sauce! I harvested all of my tomatoes a couple weeks ago before the first freeze. I still had so many on the vine that I couldn’t bear ripping them up at the end of summer. Luckily, they all turned yellow (ripe for this variety) very quickly and tasted as great as if they had ripened on the vine. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a game plan for all of those tomatoes! So before they started to go bad, I threw them all into this tomato sauce to make them into something that would last me through the winter.

This sauce requires fresh ingredients and immersion blender (affiliate), but that’s pretty much it! Give it some time and it will reduce into a beautifully delicious garden sauce. To cream-ify it, all you have to do is add a little vodka and splash in some cream before you’re getting ready to serve! The vodka and cream really balance out the acidity of the tomatoes nicely. Then, it’s ready for a finishing touch of salt before being shoveled straight into your mouth. What I have known in the past of vodka sauce is that sometimes they have too much alcoholic flavoring. I wanted to avoid that, so I think that I included just enough vodka to bring out all the necessary flavors without feeling like you’re going to get turnt.

Local Spotlight: The vodka is left over (I know, I know) from making some summer cocktails. The tomatoes as I said, or from my own garden and I use the last of the garlic that I had bought at the farmers market. And fortunately, my basil plant had already tapped out for the season…but this basil is also local, I got it at the grocery store. It is from a hydroponic farm!

Here’s what’s beautiful about this sauce… You don’t have to make your tomato sauce, if you already have a spaghetti sauce that you like or that is on hand all you have to do is add in a little vodka and cream to finish it off and make it a super quick meal!

xxHillary

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Fettuccine with Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce

This creamy tomato vodka sauce feels the heart and body with warmth and comfort.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 3

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 2 T. oregano
• 2 t. salt
• 8 basil leaves
• 1 t. onion powder
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 t. brown sugar
• 3-4 lbs tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves

Dish:

• 2 C. pasta sauce
• 3 T. vodka
• 1/4 C. heavy cream
• 1/2 lb. fettuccine

Instructions

Basic Tomato Sauce:

1. Peel garlic and smash lightly to let the aroma escape.

2. Dice the tomatoes or slice them into large chunks - maybe quarters

3. In a large stock pot, 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium low heat.

4. In a large stock pot, simmer tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, brown sugar and garlic.

5. Let simmer on low until the water has come out of the tomatoes and they have broken down. (About 30 to 50 minutes.)

6. Using an immersion blender or blender to combine ingredients together.
   

7. Continue to simmer until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. About 10 to 30 minutes.

Vodka Cream Sauce & Pasta:

1. Combine 2 cups of prepared sauce and vodka in a small sauce pan on low heat. Let simmer while pasta cooks.

2. Prepare noodles according to directions.

3. Stir in cream.
   

4. For best results, place noodles in the pan with the sauce. (Include a little bit of the starchy pasta water so that the sauce pan into the noodles better.)
   

5. Serve & #enJOY!

Recipe Notes

Naturally vegetarian.

Can be modified to be gluten free with gluten free noodles.