Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

Okay, so I am slacking on the meal part of this blog. Time for a recipe!

Here is good weekday recipe with fairly basic ingredients. It's a nice change if you want an easy pasta dish that isn't spaghetti and meatballs.  Bonus: It only take about 25-30 min and it makes a lot - and leftovers make good lunches!

(Originally found on Allrecipes)

Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

You will need:

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked penne pasta (or whatever noodles you have on hand)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 5 links sweet Italian sausage (I use sweet Italian Turkey Sausage to make it a little healthier)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In large skillet, heat oil over moderate heat. Remove casing from sausage and add to skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat, until brown. Add garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring until garlic is golden brown.
3. Add tomatoes and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add vodka and cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and add pasta, toss for 1 minute. Stir in fresh parsley and serve!

Notes:
If you want more of a spicy kick, add more red pepper flakes! If you don't like spicy at all - omit them. Also, the vodka burns off and you don't really taste it - so if that is a concern, then it shouldn't be!