Pasta with Vodka Sauce (2024)

This pasta with vodka sauce is really easy to make, and it’s a step up from regular jarred sauce.This recipe uses simple pantry ingredients that you probably have on hand already. Plus, you can use some of that vodka you’ve had sitting on your bar for a couple of years.

The vodka sauce comes together quickly and the rest is just boiling some pasta. Serve it with homemade garlic bread and a side salad and you’ll have a wonderful weekend meal.

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Ingredients

• Olive Oil – we used extra virgin because it’s what we had on hand but regular and extra light will work too.
• Butter – regular salted butter
• Aromatics – onions and garlic add extra flavor and give the sauce that homemade taste.
• Tomatoes – regular tomato sauce and canned diced tomatoes, use regular or fire roasted. You can also use canned whole tomatoes and chop them up with kitchen shears (we used fire roasted diced tomatoes)
• Pasta – penne is the go-to for this popular dish. The sauce sticks to the ridges and gets in the tube shaped noodle. But really, any moderate-size tube shaped pasta will do, like rigatoni or ziti (we used penne mezze, which is a shorter version of penne)
• Vodka – use whatever you have on hand
• Cream – half and half or heavy cream if it's what you have on hand
• Salt – for the pasta water, we use kosher salt
• Cheese – parmesan cheese, fresh grated is best
• Garnish – chopped parsley or basil, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper for a little extra zing, if desired.

Prep work

The prep work for the meal is very easy. Dice the onions, mince the garlic, grate the parmesan cheese and gather and measure out the remaining ingredients. Organize the prepped ingredients in glass nesting bowls for simple, stress-free cooking!

Tips and suggestions

• Don’t overcook the pasta; cook it only to al dente. It will continue cooking once it’s drained plus it’s going into the hot sauce. If the pasta is overcooked it will get mushy.
• When making pasta and sauces always reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water before draining it. You can use the pasta water to loosen the sauce a little bit if it’s too thick, or to make the pasta slippery again if it dries out while you finish things up.
• Don’t let the sauce come to a simmer or boil once the half and half/cream has been added. Heat it gently and enough to warm through.
• Hold off until the end before adding salt to the vodka sauce. Canned tomato products and parmesan cheese contain salt already. Taste at the end and decide if it needs more. If you’re sensitive to salt, use low sodium products and adjust at the end.

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften.
3. Next, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
4. Carefully add the vodka and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce.
6. Simmer the sauce to let the flavors develop and come together.
7. Process the vodka sauce in the pot with an immersion blender or use a blender. An immersion blender, also called a stick blender, is a fantastic tool for blending soups and sauces right in the pot they were cooked in.
8. Return the pot to low heat, stir in the half and half, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper (if using). Cook gently to warm through – do not let the sauce come to a boil.

If you’re using a blender to process the vodka sauce, do not fill it to the top with hot liquid, process in small batches. Remove the center piece (feeder cap) of the lid. Replace the lid (without the feeder cap) and cover with a clean, folded kitchen towel. Hold the towel down while blending. Start at a very low speed and increase gradually if necessary.

Finish the dish

While the sauce cooks make the pasta; cook to package directions for al dente. Remember to salt the pasta water (1 or 2 tablespoons should do it). Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.

Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra salt to ours.

Add the pasta to the vodka sauce and stir to combine, or serve the pasta and top with the sauce, either way it’s delicious! Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil, extra parmesan cheese and a little crushed red pepper, if desired.

Storing leftovers

Store the leftover pasta with vodka sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If freezing, it is best not combine the pasta with the vodka sauce. Let the sauce cool a bit and store in airtight containers. Leave space in the container to allow for expansion when it freezes. Place the container in the refrigerator to let it cool further. Then freeze the sauce for 3-4 months.

You may also like:

• Baked Spaghetti
• Baked Ziti with Sausage
• Ravioli Bake
• Italian Sausage Spaghetti
• Chicken and Tomato Pasta

📖 Recipe

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