Baked Penne alla Vodka with Meatballs
Add a layer of cheese and juicy meatballs to your penne alla vodka, then bake it for an ultimate cozy dinner.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 450g / 1lbs extra lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp each dried basil and oregano
- 75g / 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 250g/ 1/2 lb penne or any other short pasta shape
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil divided
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4-5 leaves basil or 1 tsp dried basil
- 70ml / 1/4 cup This is an affiliate link.vodka could be omitted
- 400ml / 14 oz This is an affiliate link.tomato passata or canned crushed tomatoes
- 85ml / 1/3 cup double/heavy cream
- salt to taste
- 150g / 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
- Start by mixing the ground beef, an egg, 1 tsp of each basil and oregano, breadcrumbs and salt. Then form 12 meatballs out of the mixture.
- Set a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs, shaking them in the pan, so they are well rounded and browned. Remove to a separate plate.
- Once the water boils, add a pinch of salt and pasta. Cook 2 minutes less than what package instructions indicate. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the vodka sauce. In the same pan heat the remaining olive oil, then add the chopped onion and saute over low heat for about 7-10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the minced garlic, sliced fresh basil leaves or dried basil and and cook while stirring for 30 seconds. Pour in the vodka and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release the brown bits, allow the vodka to reduce by simmering for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine, allow the sauce to warm through, then season with salt to taste and take it off the heat. Process the sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Immersion blender works best.)
- Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Add the pasta to a baking dish and dot with the cooked meatballs all over, then top with grated mozzarella. Cook in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until piping hot and the cheese has melted. Broil/grill for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly for that crispy layer.
Notes
- Using pre-made meatballs is an easy way to make this recipe quicker. Same with using good quality store-bought pasta sauce and adding cream, as per the recipe. However, you will get the best results by following the recipe as written.
- Brown the meatballs as the water is boiling and pasta cooks. An easy bit of multitasking that makes the recipe come together quicker!
- No need to clean the pan after frying meatballs and preparing the sauce. Use the same one, and let the remains of the meatballs add more flavour into the sauce.
- Be sure the onions are cooked till tender before deglazing the pan with vodka. If the onions are rushed, they will remain crunchy and will not add much flavour to the sauce.
- I used penne but other short pasta shapes such as rigatoni and shells will work just as well. You want a fairly thick shape that will scoop up the delicious sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 744kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 1480mg | Potassium: 953mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 882IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 316mg | Iron: 6mg