Penne alla Vodka Recipe

Penne alla Vodka is penne pasta in a rich creamy tomato sauce with sun ripened tomatoes, sweet onions, garlic, vodka and fresh Parmesan Cheese.

Course main meal pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword alla vodka pasta, alla vodka sauce, how to make pasta alla vodka

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 744kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Melt the butter a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook 4-5 minutes or until soft; stirring several times. Add garlic and crushed red pepper: cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and carefully add the vodka. Stir in the tomato paste and add the tomatoes crushing with your hands as you add them. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring several times.
Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente according to the box instructions and drain well. Reduce heat on the sauce to very low and add the cream and the parmesan cheese. Add cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh basil or parsley and a little more grated Parmesan Cheese.

Cook the pasta al dente and drain well.
Vodka is flammable so be very careful when adding it to the pan. Make sure to keep towels, loose clothing and your hair tied back. Sometimes if the air seems heavy when I am cooking with alcohol I will turn off the heat, very carefully add it to the pan so it does not drip down the sides, give it a couple of minutes for the alcohol fumes to dissipate and then turn the heat back on.
Use the best quality tomatoes you can find for this recipes. You can use canned crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes and crush them yourselves.
Pick up a wedge of Parmesan Cheese "Parmigiano Reggiano" and grate the cheese yourself. That way you will get all the flavor without any of the fillers or anticaking agents. I purchase a wedge from either Costco (that is a big wedge that I use for a while) or my local grocery store.
Any medium pasta will work for this recipe like rigatoni, ziti, rotini, campanelle, or elbow macaroni.
The sauce can be made up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Do you want to add some protein? Add cooked chicken, Italian sausage, crispy fried bacon, prosciutto, or pancetta.
For added vegetables try mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplant.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Because of the heavy cream I do not recommend freezing this dish.