Sausage and Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka with Barilla® Chickpea Rotini
Ingredients
- 1 pound of Barilla® Chickpea Rotini pasta
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 large shallot finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounce can tomato paste or, a heaping ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup vodka or chicken stock
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- Kosher salt
- 1 pint 2 cups heavy cream (or half n half for a lighter version)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- Basil for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pound of Barilla® Chickpea Rotini until al dente. **RESERVE 2 CUPS OF THE COOKING LIQUID BEFORE YOU DRAIN THE PASTA!!** Do not rinse the pasta!
- Warm a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage, breaking it into small crumbled, until almost cooked through. Add 1 minced shallot and 2 minced garlic cloves and continue cooking until the shallot and garlic are softened and the sausage is cooked through.
- Stir in 6 ounces tomato paste and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the paste turns a nice deep red color.
- Stir in ¼ cup vodka and 10 ounces halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, until combined. Stir in 2 cups heavy cream and simmer until thickened to the consistency of a thin yogurt. Stir in ½ cup parmesan until melted and smooth. Stir in the pasta and a small amount of pasta cooking liquid at a time if needed for the sauce to be very thick and cling to each noodle perfectly. Taste and season with salt as needed.
- Serve and garnish with more Parmesan.