Heat up a Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. Add diced shallots and saute until it starts to brown.
Smash and mince garlic, add it to the pot, and saute until garlic is fragrant.
Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, stir well, and simmer until heated through. Pour in vodka, stir, and let it come to simmer.
Simmer for a 5-7 minutes but make sure to keep the lid on with a small opening for the steam to escape. (Tomatoes will splatter while simmering so the lid will help a lot.)
Stir in heavy whipping cream and add shaved Parmesan cheese, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir everything together and simmer until the cheese is all melted and smooth.
Stir in minced fresh basil and let it cook for just a minute or so.
Take off heat and it’s ready to be mixed with pasta.
TIP: the sauce can be left chunky or blended smooth. If you want to blend the sauce, use an immersion blender or transfer it into a food processor. Be careful if transferring the sauce to blend because it will be scalding hot.
TIP: cook pasta at the same time as the sauce because both will take about the same amount of time.