Foodie Fridays: Black Bean Rotini with Vodka Sauce

You may have suspected something like this was coming after last week's Foodie Fridays recipe featuring soy bean spaghetti, but for the next few weeks I am going to regale you with recipes including bean pastas!  This week's option is perfect for Halloween, as it combines black bean rotini with a creamy orange vodka sauce.  I found the fast and easy sauce recipe at India Today, of all places, and I think the Indian influence is apparent in the use of butter and cream but no olive oil.  The original recipe called for tomato purée, which I did not have on hand, but a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste did the trick for me.  I also did not have any red chili flakes, but a little bit of ground cayenne pepper was more than enough heat for my wimpy taste buds.

One word of warning: if you use black bean pasta, be sure to drain it very well, as the pasta turns the cooking water quite dark.  Rather than risk ending up with a rather gruesome-looking greyish-orange sauce, I rinsed the black bean pasta several times until the water was almost clear.  This dish is creamy, rich, and delicious, which I think makes it the ultimate comfort food.  And we all just might need a little comforting (and maybe a little vodka?) on eerie All Hallow's Eve!

Black Bean Pasta with Vodka Sauce

1/4 C. butter
2/3 C. vodka
red chili flakes, to taste
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 C. heavy cream
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
12 oz. black bean pasta (I used Trader Joe's Organic Black Bean Rotini)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a nonstick skillet.  Add the vodka and chili flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce and paste and mix well.  Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.  Pour in the cream and cook for another 5 minutes.  Stir in the cheese until well incorporated.  Season with salt to taste and set aside.  Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Rinse and drain very well and add to the vodka sauce.  Stir to combine and serve.  Serves 4.