Penne Pasta in Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms

Mushroom Pasta in Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce - make your own vodka sauce from scratch! Easy, delicious, and so Italian! Perfect weeknight dinner!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion (, medium, diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (, minced)
• 14 oz canned tomatoes
• 3/4 cup vodka
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon basil (, if you have fresh basil - use more)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup mushrooms (, sliced)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Half and Half
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz penne pasta ((for gluten free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne))
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (, freshly shredded)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat, until onion softens.
2. 2Off heat, add tomatoes, vodka, crushed red pepper, basil, oregano - break tomatoes if necessary, and mix everything.
3. 3Bring the mixture gently to medium heat. Reduce to simmer and simmer, on low heat, covered, occasionally stirring, for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens. During the last 10 minutes, add mushrooms, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. 4While on low heat, add heavy cream and half & half to the sauce and stir everything to ensure even consistency. Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt or more to season the sauce.
5. 5In the mean time, cook pasta according to package instructions. Rinse cooked pasta with cold water and drain (this stops pasta from cooking and prevents it from being too mushy). Add cooked and rinsed pasta to the sauce. Reheat the sauce on low heat to heat everything through.
6. 6Serve each plate topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese