Description
A rich and creamy Penne alla Vodka recipe featuring a smooth tomato vodka cream sauce tossed with perfectly cooked al dente penne pasta. This comforting Italian-American classic is easy to make with simple ingredients and perfect for a cozy dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 small onion, chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Fresh basil, sliced thin (optional, to taste)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Boil a generously salted pot of water and cook the penne pasta al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté onion: In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Sauté the finely chopped onion for about 5 minutes until softened or lightly browned.
- Add garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add vodka: Pour in the vodka and let the sauce bubble for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol.
- Add tomato paste: Stir the tomato paste into the skillet until you have a smooth mixture.
- Add cream and simmer: Stir in the heavy whipping cream and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce warm through and thicken for a couple of minutes or longer if desired.
- Season and add basil: Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in fresh sliced basil if using.
- Toss pasta with sauce: Combine the drained pasta with the sauce. If needed, thin the sauce with a splash of hot pasta water before mixing.
- Serve: Serve immediately topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Do not substitute heavy cream with milk or half-and-half as the sauce may curdle or become grainy and lose thickness.
- Use a good quality tomato paste, preferably the kind sold in tubes like DeLallo or Mutti brands.
- Recipe yields 4 reasonably sized servings; to feed hungry people or larger portions, double the recipe.
- Any skillet can be used; the original recipe used a 10.25″ Le Creuset skillet.
- This pasta recipe is featured on page 23 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
