Spicy Sausage Vodka Sauce

Written by Updated on July 19, 2023 in Italian Food, Main Course, Pasta, Sauces + Spices
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This is a killer scratch vodka sauce that is simple to throw together and loaded with layers of incredible flavor. Choose your own adventure by adding more or less red pepper flakes and hot Italian sausage… although this recipe is great with sweet!

I thought about the ingredients I used for this recipe for about a month, took notes from a few other tasty-looking vodka sauce recipes and nailed this one on the first crack.

Like all great sauce recipes, you can really season this with your heart. Don’t be afraid to keep tasting and adding spices as you see fit. I usually end up needing to add a little extra salt at the end.

Spicy Sausage Vodka Sauce
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Spicy Sausage Vodka Sauce

Recipe by Johnny BeaversCourse: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
8-10servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes
Total time

55

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Spanish Onion (medium)

  • 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)

  • 3.5 OZ (105ml) Vodka

  • 1/2 CUP Butter

  • 2 CANS Crushed Tomatoes

  • 1 TSP Red Pepper Flakes (depending on your spice preferences)

  • 2 TSP Garlic Powder

  • 2.5 TBSP Italian Seasonings

  • 8 OZ Heavy Cream

  • Salt

  • Black Pepper

  • Fresh Parsley

  • Manchego Cheese

  • 1 1/2 LB Italian Sausage (sweet or hot … I use both but a little more hot than sweet)

Instructions

  • In a large sauce pan, melt the butter on MED HI.
  • Add diced onions, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook (simmering but not boiling) until the onion becomes translucent.
  • Add Vodka and continue to simmer for 5 or so minutes to allow the alcohol to cook off.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings and garlic powder.
  • Cover and let this simmer for about 20 minutes.
  • While the sauce is simmering, brown and crumble the sausage in a pan with some olive oil.
  • Add this sausage to the sauce and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Slowly add heavy cream until your sauce is an orangish color. I use about 6-7oz. *If your sauce is too thin, add some tomato paste.
  • Boil your favorite pasta (pictured is Mezzi Rigatoni).
  • In a separate pan, add pasta. Ladle in sauce to your liking. Add a little pasta water if it’s too thick.
  • Shred a liberal amount of Manchego cheese into the pasta and sauce and toss it until the cheese melts.
  • Garnish with parsley and some extra grated Manchego.

Notes & Prep

  • Keep the extra sauce to add to leftovers!