When it comes to dinner in our house, pasta is always a hit. My sons, like most, are big fans of anything involving noodles, and I love finding recipes they can help make. That’s how I discovered this Ricotta Vodka Sauce Pasta. It’s rich, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to prepare, making it the perfect dish to tackle as a family. With a little chopping, stirring, and plenty of excitement over dolloping ricotta onto the finished plates, this recipe has quickly become one of our go-to’s for busy weeknights. The best part? It’s delicious enough to feel like a treat but simple enough for the kids to lend a hand in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 6 oz thick-cut bacon
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh or dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup vodka (or substitute lemon water or chicken broth)
- 1 pound pasta (such as fusilli, penne, or rigatoni)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz pecorino romano, grated
- 8 oz whole milk ricotta
- Fresh basil, finely chopped for garnish
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat over medium-high. Add bacon and cook until crisp around the edges, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the pan.
- Lower the heat to medium, stir in the red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic, cooking until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add chopped onion, seasoning generously with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for another 3 minutes until it darkens slightly. Turn off the heat and stir in the vodka.
- Add pasta to the boiling water, cooking according to package instructions but stopping about 2 minutes before it’s fully cooked (just shy of al dente).
- Bring the sauce back to high heat, stirring until it reduces by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and bring it to a gentle simmer before removing it from the heat.
- Reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining. Add the pasta to the skillet with the sauce, along with 1 cup of pasta water and most of the grated Pecorino Romano. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring continuously until the sauce coats the pasta in a glossy layer, about 5-7 minutes. Add more pasta water as needed to keep the sauce from drying out. Remove the garlic cloves, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Plate the pasta, topping each portion with a few dollops of ricotta and a sprinkle of the remaining Pecorino.
- Garnish with chopped fresh basil to balance the richness.