Pasta with Wodka-Cream Sauce

A month ago I saw this very interesting recipe over at The Dogs Eat The Crumbs, it was Penne with Vodka Cream Sauce. It looked so delicious, so I had to try it!

I made it together with a friend a while ago, we used a four-cheese ravioli and absolutely loved it. We paired it with a nice salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, goat cheese and mustard-honey dressing. Yum!!

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
1/2 pound uncooked pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add vodka; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes.

Place tomato mixture in a blender. (I catually skipped this part: I like it when you can still see the ingredients in the sauce) Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Process until smooth. Return tomato mixture to pan; stir in cream. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and basil. Serve immediately.