Penne alla Vodka was never a staple in my house growing up. It was always an occasional treat when my family went out to eat—a treat I always looked forward to. I’ve been experimenting with different types of pasta sauces lately, so I thought why not vodka sauce? Even though this is the first time I made it, this dish was so easy to make and, might I add, out-of-this-world delicious!
Check out the recipe below. And for the video tutorial check out my highlights on Instagram @AntoneAppetit!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound penne pasta or any tubed pasta
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or more to cover the entire pan)
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup vodka
- Sprinkle salt
- Sprinkle pepper
- 3 small basil leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or a sprinkle more to thicken the sauce)
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup pasta water (or less)
Directions:
- Boil water for pasta, using directions on the box
- Finely chop the white onion
- Finely chop the garlic
- Cover a medium-sized sauce pan with olive oil
- Cook the onion and garlic in the pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes
- Pour the crushed tomatoes in the pan and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes
- Sprinkle in salt and pepper
- Add vodka and reduce heat to low
- Add basil leaves
- Add parmesan and mix
- Pour pasta water into measuring cup with heavy cream to heat up the cream so it’s not too cold when incorporated
- Pour the heavy cream into the pan and stir
- Add tomato sauce
- Sprinkle in some more parmesan cheese if you want to thicken the sauce
- Serve over penne or any tube pasta!
Antone Appetit 