Tieghan Gerard, author of the Half Baked Harvest cookbook and the eponymous blog , has a new book out: Half Baked Harvest Super Simple . It’s filled with more than “125 recipes for instant, overnight, meal-prepped, and easy comfort foods.”
Naturally, I’m finding myself very drawn to the “pizza & pasta” chapter, a number of which are speaking to me: butternut squash and apple pizza, made with a smear of apple butter, sautéed shallots, and ribbons of raw butternut squash (created with a vegetable peeler), “grown-up” SpaghettiOs, made with mostly tomato paste and water but which is astonishingly delicious*, and this BAKED penne alla vodka.
I love penne alla vodka and have been a devotee of Ina’s recipe for years, which takes hours to cook. Tieghan’s vodka sauce takes a fraction of the time and relies on garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and, most importantly, a half cup of slivered sun-dried tomatoes, whose flavor in the end is so subtle — it will have any recipients of your baked-pasta labors guessing.
You can serve the sauce traditionally with al dente pasta and a shaving of parmesan over top or you can take it one step further and bake it. I opted for the latter and have zero regrets.
It’s simple: after you toss the pasta with the vodka sauce, you layer half of it into a 9×13-inch baking pan, top this layer with a mix of ricotta and heavy cream, top with the remaining pasta, and finally a layer of fresh mozzarella. After 35 minutes in the oven, when the cheese is beginning to blister and the pasta tips are beginning to char, it’s done.
Serve it with a simple green salad — that’s all it needs.
5 Other Favorite Baked Pastas
- Sheet Pan Mac n’ Cheese
- Baked Pasta Gratin with Kale
- Baked Penne with Butternut Squash Sauce
- No-Boil Mac n’ Cheese
- Baked Ziti with Kale & Créme Fraîche
*I loved this one and after making it with wagon wheels, I ordered the traditional anelli pasta , which is very hard to find in a traditional grocery store. I love the “little rings.”
Here’s the play by play: Gather your ingredients.
Sauté garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in butter.
Add vodka and reduce by a third.
Add crushed tomatoes (or plum) along with sun-dried tomatoes, and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 15 minutes, then …
… purée it.
Toss very al dente pasta with the sauce and parmesan.
Layer half of the pasta into a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Top with a layer of ricotta mixed with heavy cream.
Top with the remaining pasta.
Top with fresh mozzarella and transfer to the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool briefly.
Serve with a simple green salad (and simple vinaigrette … this is my favorite).
Tieghan Gerard’s Half Baked Harvest Super Simple
Description
From Tieghan Gerard’s Half Baked Harvest Super Simple
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup vodka
- 1 28-oz can crushed (or whole peeled) tomatoes
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 pound penne
- 1 cup parmesan
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 16 -oz whole milk ricotta
- 8 -oz fresh mozzarella
- fresh basil, for serving, optional
- In a large saucepan, combine the butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by one-third, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and a large pinch each salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce over medium heat until reduced slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add the penne and cook for about 6 minutes (or about 4 minutes under suggested al dente cooking time.) Reserve one cup of pasta cooking liquid. Drain pasta and run under cold water.
- When the pasta sauce has finished cooking transfer it to a blender or use an immersion blender to purée until smooth — you may need to add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to thin. I’ve been adding about a cup of pasta cooking liquid.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the sauce and parmesan and stir to combine.
- Heat the oven to 425ºF. In a medium bowl stir together the heavy cream and ricotta.
- Transfer half of the pasta mixture to a 9×13-inch baking pan. Top with the ricotta mixture, spreading to cover evenly. Top with the remaining pasta. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter evenly over top. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Garnish with basil, if using, and more parmesan, if you wish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Description
From Tieghan Gerard’s Half Baked Harvest Super Simple
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup vodka
- 1 28-oz can crushed (or whole peeled) tomatoes
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 pound penne
- 1 cup parmesan
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 16 -oz whole milk ricotta
- 8 -oz fresh mozzarella
- fresh basil, for serving, optional
- In a large saucepan, combine the butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by one-third, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and a large pinch each salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce over medium heat until reduced slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add the penne and cook for about 6 minutes (or about 4 minutes under suggested al dente cooking time.) Reserve one cup of pasta cooking liquid. Drain pasta and run under cold water.
- When the pasta sauce has finished cooking transfer it to a blender or use an immersion blender to purée until smooth — you may need to add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to thin. I’ve been adding about a cup of pasta cooking liquid.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the sauce and parmesan and stir to combine.
- Heat the oven to 425ºF. In a medium bowl stir together the heavy cream and ricotta.
- Transfer half of the pasta mixture to a 9×13-inch baking pan. Top with the ricotta mixture, spreading to cover evenly. Top with the remaining pasta. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter evenly over top. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Garnish with basil, if using, and more parmesan, if you wish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/12/06/baked-penne-alla-vodka/
Friends, we’re getting down to the wire.
I am wholly unprepared in regard to my children (got any ideas??), but I’ve got my mom, my sister, my aunties, my mother-in-law, my neighbor and a few other gals in my life covered.
If you are looking for inspiration, here are a few ideas. Not everything is order-able, but, as with the first gift guide , I hope the items featured below might spark some ideas for you.
PS: Find cooking-related gifts in The Shop .
PPS: 7 Gifts for Her
Tea Drops (or other tea)
I recently had lunch with a friend in Troy at Sunhee’s , one of my favorite restaurants — amazing food ( japchae ! bibimbap! banchan!), incredible mission , great feng shui — and I spent some time in the shop afterwards, where I picked up a number of things, including a container of citrus-ginger flavored Tea Drops , and I love!
There’s no caffeine in this “drop,” and it’s just a touch sweet — a perfect amount of sweetness if you ask me. My husband loves as well. It’s such a treat after dinner or at tea time when you’re needing a pick-me-up but want to avoid caffeine.
Just a head’s up: each “drop” is individually wrapped … I know so many people are trying to cut back on all of the single-use plastic.
Kimchi (or other pickle)
I don’t know a single gal who doesn’t love a pickle. Sunhee’s kimchi is amazing, but if you are not local, maybe you can find something similar from your neck of the woods?
Vuori Performance Joggers or Clementine Shorts
One late night, while scrolling through Instagram, a very well targeted ad spotted me, and I woke up to an email confirming my purchase (😩) of athletic wear from a company I had never heard of: Vuori . Fortunately, it all worked out in the end: I absolutely love the two items I ended up keeping, and I tell everyone I know about them:
- Clementine Short : I don’t run much anymore, but I love walking, and I love these shorts for just that or for hiking (and also my adult league soccer games). They are so comfortable and they’ve yet to cause that dreaded inner thigh chafing — score!
- Performance joggers : I live — never jog — in these.
Dry Shampoo
Late to the game here discovering dry shampoo, but man is it nice having on hand for those days you just. can’t. find. time. to. shower. I really really love Amika’s dry shampoo , which I discovered from a local salon, Heart and Soul . If you live locally, a gift certificate to H&S salon would make a lovely gift as well.
Gift Certificate to a Yoga Studio
In the past few years, yoga has become my preferred form of exercise. I cannot say enough good things about a local studio, Studio 4 Hot Yoga & Pilates , and its owner, Michelle Pollard, who is incredibly funny, plays amazing music (from Metallica to Lil’ Jon), and makes every class challenging but fun. A 10-class gift card to Studio4 (or other) would be a great gift.
Earrings
I discovered The Grey Birch a few years ago at a holiday market at Great Flats , a favorite local brewery, and I love.
I spotted the earrings pictured here at the Fort Orange General Store (another amazing local spot for gifts), and I wear them all the time. I can’t find these particular earrings in their online shop, but if you contact them, maybe they can accommodate.
Kelly’s Cookies (or other fabulous cookie)
You may remember, if you’ve been reading for awhile, me mentioning a very talented local baker, Kelly Trimarchi . I first met her at a lawn games Olympics party several years ago, for which she brought her amazing cookies, pictured below.
She now sells cookies online, sells cookie decorating kits online, teaches classes, and designs custom cookies for various celebrations. I think she is sold out this year — sorry for the tease! — but you may be able to give a gift certificate for one of her fabulous services. Follow her on Instagram, too: She is amazing .
Superkin
For the pregnant woman in your life: a gift certificate to Superkin or a pair of their leggings or a pretty blouse . Superkin, founded by women (one of whom is a dear high school friend — go Tara!) makes: “high tech, low maintenance clothing deliberately designed to dress you— not just your bump.”
Beauty Counter (or other) Lip Gloss
I learned about Beauty Counter from a neighbor , who discovered their products and then became a seller. I bought my sister a lip gloss trio last year, and she raved. Her enthusiasm encouraged me, mostly a chapstick wearer, to dip a toe into the lip gloss waters, and I love. The above-pictured lip gloss is opal . I can’t find the lip gloss trio anywhere, but this set of “jellies” looks similar. Another Beauty Counter product I really love is this cleansing milk face wash .
A fun, sporty ring
For the sporty girl in your life, a set of sporty rings from The Break : a new brand of “Modern Active Accessories, Made to Play.”
These rings are “sweat-proof, water-proof, made-to-move and designed to add more fun to your runs, rides, flows and adventures.” Aren’t they fun? The Break, founded by women (one of whom is dear friend — go Steph!), makes their rings at a women founded and led US manufacturer.
A pretty scarf
I found this scarf at Blue Bird , another great local spot for gifts, and it has become part of my winter uniform. It is enormous, and it keeps me very warm.
There is no brand name on this particular scarf, so if you don’t live locally, here are a few other ideas: blanket scarf , chunky knit bobble scarf , herringbone scarf .
Madewell Jacket
I splurged on this coat earlier this fall, rationalizing: “it’s timeless!” I think it is. It’s not super warm, but that’s what I love about it — it’s not bulky, so I can layer it with a big sweater when it’s cold out. I wore it all fall, and I’ve continued wearing it since the weather has turned. I also have been living in this sweater (currently 40% off!).
