Spicy-Sweet Linguine alla Vodka

My latest culinary obsession is Rocco DiSpirito. Not only is his food delicious, but he's really easy on the eyes. My sister and I joke that his latest cookbooks (Now Eat This!) are really just picture books with some recipes. Anyway, for What's Cookin' Wednesday I thought I would share his Spicy-Sweet Linguine alla Vodka, which for me was really Spaghetti alla Vodka since I didn't have linguine.

What you need:

• 8 ounces whole wheat linguine (or spaghetti)
• 1 1/2 cups of store bought low-fat marinara sauce
• 1 large bottle fie-roasted red peppers (about 4 ounces) cut into thin strips (so I didn't use this I just used sweet red peppers and sauteed them real quick)
• 1/4 cup 2% Greek Yogurt
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (so yummy!)

What to do:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil
• Add pasta and cook according to package
• Bring the marinara sauce and red peppers to a simmer
• Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it has slightly thickened.
  
• Remove sauce from the heat
• Put the yogurt in a small bowl and stir in about 1/2 cup of the warmed sauce into the yogurt until smooth (this prevents the yogurt from curdling in the sauce)
• Whisk yogurt mixture into remaining sauce and keep the sauce off the heat
• Drain pasta and slide it into a bowl
• Add the sauce, basil and 1 teaspoon of the hot pepper sauce
• Toss gently until the pasta is evenly coated
• Season with salt and pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce if desired
• Sprinkle with cheese and serve

I almost doubled this recipe so we could have leftovers and I am so glad I did. This is hands down my new favorite pasta. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Be sure to play along with What's Cookin' Wednesday at Life as We Know It