Penne with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

Author Notes

I obviously did not invent the concept of a vodka pasta sauce. I wish I had, I'm fully qualified. Living in the Florida Panhandle, we have seemingly, endless and reasonably priced access to the freshest seafood. We eat a lot of it and much of that is Gulf shrimp. I've come up with many quick meals that showcase the seafood but this is our current favorite. The credit for this recipe is shared amongst the guy that created the vodka sauce concept, the guys at Cool Fish Market and the shrimp. I just brought them all together. Although this comes together quickly, take your time heating the garlic very gently. - Andra —ourlastsupper

Test Kitchen Notes

There's a good reason why pasta with vodka sauce is a classic: it's comfort food at its finest. Andra's version, with its boozy kick and lovely sprinkling of basil, is elegant enough to make my partner think I had spent hours over the stove, yet simple enough that the sauce took only slightly longer to cook than the pasta. Sadly for me, I don't have the luxury of Andra's Gulf shrimp out here, but my previously frozen ones from Whole Foods worked just fine. I would add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes next time, and believe me, there will certainly be a next time. —mg2157