Soothe Your Soul With This Comforting and Delicious Penne Alla Vodka Pizza

Soothe Your Soul With This Comforting and Delicious Penne Alla Vodka Pizza

Penne Alla Vodka Pizza

Penne alla vodka and pizza stand at the top of Italian comfort food. Two great things go great together!

Prep Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Judit Lipoczi

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pancetta diced
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 8 cloves garlic divided
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 can whole peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup vodka
  • 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
  • 6 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp salt divided
  • 8 oz uncooked penne pasta
  • 2 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 lb fresh deli pizza dough room temperature
  • 8 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 1 1/4 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated with a Microplane grater
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

  1. Place a pizza stone or an overturned rimmed baking sheet in the oven, and preheat oven to 500°F. (Do not remove pizza stone while oven preheats.)

  2. Cook pancetta in a large, high-sided skillet over medium, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to pancetta, and reduce heat to medium-low. Smash 5 of the garlic cloves, and add to pancetta. Stir in crushed red pepper, and cook, stirring often, until garlic is lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Carefully add tomatoes, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally and crushing tomatoes with a potato masher until sauce thickens slightly about 8 minutes. Add vodka, and cook 2 minutes. Add peas, and stir to combine; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in cream and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Set aside. 

  3. Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Drain.

  4. Finely chop remaining 3 garlic cloves on a cutting board, and sprinkle with a remaining pinch of salt. Mash garlic and salt into a paste; transfer to a small saucepan. Add butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat gently over medium-low until butter is melted and garlic begins to sizzle about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 

  5. Stretch dough into a 14-inch circle on parchment paper. Brush dough with garlic butter until lightly covered, concentrating on edges of dough round; reserve remaining garlic butter. Slide pizza crust, with parchment paper, onto the hot pizza stone.

  6. Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; brush with reserved garlic butter, and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Toss cooked pasta with vodka sauce and spread over mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and return to oven.

  7. Bake at 500°F until crust is browned and cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cut into 8 slices. 

 

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