Friday, May 20, 2016

Graduation, Summer, and Brio Pasta alla Vodka

Today is my first official day of summer break! My oldest graduated from High School last Friday (not sure how to feel about that? Am I old? Should I start thinking about a midlife crisis?), and my youngest completed the last day of school yesterday. Yippee! So in honor of the last day of school, I created a recipe for my youngest's favorite dish from Brio Tuscan Grille - "Pasta alla Vodka." After watching a video from the Baltimore News, and searching the internet for copycat recipes, I finally put together what I feel is pretty darn close, pretty darn easy, and pretty darn delicious! I served it with bread and wedge salads with creamy parmesan dressing, just like they do at Brio! I highly recommend you try it! Let me know what you think!


Brio Tuscan Grille - Pasta alla Vodka

Serves 4-5 generously

Ingredients:
Generous glug of extra virgin olive oil, enough to cover surface of skillet
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup vodka
2 cups Marinara
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 pound cheese ravioli, cooked according to package directions (I use the family size Buitoni Four Cheese Ravioli.)
4 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves, for garnish
4-5 slices pancetta, crisped in a skillet and crumbled, for garnish
Sprinkle of shredded Parmesan, for garnish

Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until just starting to brown, approximately 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute. Add the vodka to the pan and continue to simmer until reduced by half. Add the marinara, salt, pepper, cream, parmesan and bring to a simmer. Stir in the mascarpone until melted. Add the cooked and drained ravioli, stir to coat evenly. Divide pasta in 4-5 serving bowls and garnish evenly with basil, Parmesan, and pancetta. Yummy!

8 comments:

  1. OMG my favorite dish at Brio! Definitely making this soon for my boyfriend! Thanks for posting!

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  2. Made this recipe last night. Used fresh tortellini from Costco and substituted whipped cream cheese instead of mascarpone. So yummy!
    Thanks for the recipe :-)

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  3. Closest recipe I've found! My boyfriend says "You need to make this every week for the rest of our lives" :)

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    1. Fantastic! Btw: That's what my husband says about the "French Lasagna Mardi Soir!" Thanks for visiting my site! Cheers!

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  4. Thanks, Gina! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  5. Thank you for your lovely recipe!

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    1. Thanks Anonymous! Thanks for visiting my site!

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