Quick Fix: Rigatoni w/ Bacon Vodka Sauce

Yes, you read that correctly: BACON VODKA SAUCE. It all began, as you can imagine, quite innocently one afternoon when I told my husband I was going to make rigatoni with vodka sauce. I love vodka sauce because it has two three of my favorite things: pasta, vodka, and sauce. Then he said it: "Why don't you add bacon?!"

Brilliant!!!! The funny thing is, that my husband's contributions to recipes lately seem to exclusively include the phrase "why don't you add bacon." Not surprisingly, he is always right when it comes to bacon.

This meal can be made in about 30 minutes which makes it not only the most delicious thing you'll eat all week, but one of the easiest too. I made a recipe for four, but guess what? We ate it all. *Surprise* (Seriously though, I hope you are not surprised.)

YUM! Bacon and onions cut up and stuff. 

Throw your bacon in your pan and allow it to cook and brown. 

If you don't want that bacon fat in there, you can drain it. I don't. I like the fat. 

*No judgements!*

Then add your onions. 

Allow those to cook about 4 minutes and get all yummy/fatty/cooked.

Now, add your quart of sauce to the pan. Stir. 

Now add your vodka. YUM! 

You are gonna bring it a bubble...which is to say that you don't want your sauce going crazy boiling because red sauce will spit at ya and get all out of control. What you are going to do is basically cook down the vodka (reduce it) for 20 minutes. In the beginning, it'll be very strong with the taste of vodka, but don't worry, as it reduces, that will go away. (You know, just in case you taste it before you ought to.) 

Also, this is a great time to get your pasta water boiling and then cook your pasta. 

After it's done reducing, add your cream. Do a little moonwalk dance because you love adding cream to stuff. 

When you finish moonwalking your way across the kitchen, add some parmesan cheese. I used the cheap stuff, 'cause that's how I roll. Straight ballin'! Cook until the cheese is melted. 

My dialogue at this point goes something like this:

"Hey pasta, you feeling all hot and cooked and stuff? You ready to get smothered in some bacon vodka sauce? You naughty noodles!" 

Yep, you guessed it, I am pouring my sauce right over my drained pasta! 

Holy mother of god, this is the center of my pasta universe! 

Serve. Drool. Enjoy. 

Billie's  Rigatoni with Bacon Vodka Sauce

Time: 35-40 minutes, start to finish | Serves 4 | Difficulty: Easy 

You Will Need:

1 onion, diced
6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup of vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 quart of marinara or other red sauce

1 pound pasta (I used rigatoni, but you can go crazy and use whatever you want)

Method:

In a skillet over medium high heat, cook your bacon until it is browned, about 10-12 minutes. If you prefer, drain fat (I don't prefer, I like the fat!)

Add onion to the bacon and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add your quart of red sauce to the pan, stir and bring to a simmer. (You may find you need to reduce the heat a bit at this point).

Add the vodka, and simmer (I like to say, let it bubble) and reduce for 20 minutes.

While the sauce is reducing, bring a big pot of water to a boil and add your pasta. Cook according to manufacturer's directions and drain.

When the vodka is reduced, stir in the cream and combine.

Add the parmesan cheese and allow to cook until it's melted. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and stir to combine.

Serve and devour!