Uses for Vodka Sauce: a twist on baked ziti and margarita pizza

Tired of the same old pizza or boring baked ziti?  I know,i know,  how dare i call baked ziti boring, it's one of the most beloved meals in my house and to me (being Italian and all) it has most of the major food groups cheese, pasta, MORE CHEESE and marinara sauce! what is better than that?!
But we can all admit that from time to time you do try and spice it up a little bit and add some different ingredients, like spinach,sweet peppers, breaded eggplant, leftover meats like sausage or meatballs.  One of my new twists that I like to do with a nice cheesy, filling tray of baked ziti is swap out the traditional marinara or red sauce for VODKA SAUCE :) sound good? You bet it is

I also have done this swap with some homemade margarita pizzas ( i cannot claim this idea as my own, i have to give credit to the pizzeria down the street from my apartment).  I went in one day and they had some slices on display and I inquired about one of the margarita slices that the sauce looked a little more pink than usual....
"what's the deal with this one?" i asked.
and that's when they laid it on me.....instead of the traditional fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce they swapped out the dollops of marinara for vodka sauce!
I had to try it, and it was as good as it sounded!

So tonight i tried both, baked ziti and homemade pizzas making vodka sauce the star of the show. It ain't just for penne anymore!


To make vodka sauce at home you will need:

 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups of diced panchetta (i have found it whole and rolled in the A&P, but most of the time you find it pre-packaged already thinly sliced)
 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
 1/4 cup vodka
 1 tablespoon tomato paste
 1large Can of crushed tomatoes  (either a 35 ounce can or 4.5 cups of tomatoes)
 4 leaves of Basil, chopped
 Salt and freshly ground pepper
 1/4 cup heavy cream

-in a large saute pan add olive oil and panchetta, and cook until fat renders out and panchetta becomes crisp.  Remove crisp panchetta, but leave the fat in the pan.
-Add onions and shallots, cook until translucent
-Add garlic, cook until golden
-Add the red pepper flake letting the dried flakes come back to life in the hot oil
-De-glaze the pan with the vodka
-Add Tomato paste and cook down and stir for about an minute
-Now add the crushed tomatoes, basil, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until sauce reduces by one cup.
-Add the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes
-Now add the reserved panchetta pieces and stir in


Now that you have your very own homemade vodka sauce you can add it to just about anything that you would use marinara to, for a nice little change in flavor :)



try it on your pizza:

Or in your baked ziti:

I also added caramelized onions to this batch of ziti, so delish :)





try these new ideas out!

eat and enjoy :)