cheesy shells alla sausage vodka

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 08:01:10 GMT

Step 1

Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof heavy bottomed pan or pot (such as a Dutch oven, braiser, or any stainless steel pot) over medium-high heat. Sauté 1 large, finely diced onion until translucent, then add in 6 minced garlic cloves, the zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon minced rosemary, and 2 teaspoons dried oregano and cook for 1 more minute.

Step 2

Add 1 pound of Italian sausage meat and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spoon into tiny crumbles - we don’t want any big chunks!

Step 3

Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup vodka (yes - vodka! don’t worry, your pasta isn’t going to taste like vodka!) for about 1 minute. What the hell does deglaze mean? Basically, just pour in the vodka and use that liquid to scrape the bottom of the pot and get any bits that are stuck to the pan unstuck - aka, “deglazed”. It’ll sizzle and a lot of the vodka will “burn off” aka evaporate. The booziness evaporates quickly (alcohol evaporates faster than water!), so yes, you can serve this to your kids.

Step 4

Stir in one 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes and one 14-ounce can tomato sauce, crushing each tomato with your hands before you add it to the pot. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and simmer the sauce over medium heat until thickened and no longer watery, about 30 minutes.

Step 5

Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes (if desired). I can’t tell ya exactly how much salt to use because that’ll depend on what sausage and tomatoes you use! But I bet it’ll be about 1 teaspoon. Keep tasting and seasoning until it’s perfect.

Step 6

Remove sauce from heat.

Step 7

Meanwhile, cook 12 ounces of jumbo shells until al dente. Quickly drain in a colander, but throw it into the pasta sauce before all of the pasta water drains off of it. Never, ever, ever rinse this (or any!) pasta. The starch on the noodles helps thicken the sauce and make it silky, and helps the sauce stick to the noodles!

Step 8

Stir the shells and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce, taking care to peel apart any shells that have gotten stuck together, and to fill each shell with sauce. Smooth the pasta into an even layer, then sprinkle 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese over top.

Step 9

Now we need to melt that cheese, so cover the pot with a lid, and place the pot over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Step 10

Serve with more parm and fresh basil.

Step 11

NOTES: Need some greens? Kale is the answer. Strip the ribs out of two bunches of kale, chop it up finely, and wash it. Add it to the pot two minutes after you add the sausage.

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Delicious

Easy

Kid-friendly

Makes leftovers

Moist