The Best Penne alla Vodka
This easy penne alla vodka recipe is a restaurant-quality dish with a silky tomato cream sauce. It only takes 20 minutes to make, so it's a perfect way to elevate busy weeknights!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: best penne alla vodka recipe, easy penne alla vodka recipe
Servings: 4
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 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 see note
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh basil, sliced thin optional, to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Boil a generously salted pot of water for the penne and cook it al dente according to package directions.
Meanwhile, add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes or until softened (ok if it lightly browns).
Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the vodka and let the sauce bubble for 30 seconds or so.
Stir in the tomato paste until you've got a smooth mixture.
Stir in the cream, and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the sauce warm through. I find this sauce thickens up very quickly (within a couple minutes), but feel free to cook it a little longer to thicken it up even more.
Season with salt & pepper as needed. Stir in the fresh basil if using. Toss with the drained pasta (if needed, thin the sauce out a bit with a splash of hot pasta water prior to draining it). Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
- I don't recommend subbing the heavy cream for something like milk or half-and-half because the sauce is likely to curdle/get grainy, and it won't be as thick or delicious.
- Use a good quality tomato paste! For this recipe, I prefer the kind sold in the tubes (like DeLallo and Mutti sell).
- This makes 4 reasonably-sized portions (not huge ones, and I suggest serving this recipe with something like a salad since it's quite rich by itself). If you're feeding hungry people who will eat more than 2 oz pasta each and no side dishes, I recommend doubling the recipe.
- I used a 10.25" Le Creuset skillet to make this recipe (any skillet is fine).
- This pasta can be found on page 23 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1081IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg