vodka pasta recipe
A creamy and vibrant penne pasta dish with a rich vodka-infused tomato sauce.
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed finely
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 0.5 cup minced yellow onion
- 3 oz prosciutto, diced (optional)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 0.5 cup vodka
- 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- 0.66 cup heavy cream
- 0.25 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 0.25 cup chopped fresh basil
- 14 oz penne pasta plus reserved pasta water for thinning sauce as needed
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Bring a pot of water to a boil to cook pasta. Season water with salt.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and prosciutto and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute longer.
- Remove pan from heat and add tomatoes, vodka. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until the strong alcohol scent has cooked off, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 0.5 cup pasta water and drain pasta.
- Stir cream into sauce and let just heat through, about 1 minute. Stir in parmesan, basil, and oregano.
- Add drained pasta to pot with sauce, toss to coat, while thinning sauce with a little pasta water as needed. Serve warm with more parmesan and garnish with more basil if desired.
Notes
For an extra smooth sauce, you can run the San Marzano tomatoes through a food processor before adding them to the pan. Adjust pasta water as needed to achieve desired sauce consistency.