Our easy Penne alla Vodka recipe is creamy, flavorful, and restaurant worthy! We love to garnish it with parmesan and fresh basil and serve with breadsticks.
I'm always craving Penne alla Vodka
I'm always craving Penne alla VodkaIt's that pasta dish that gives fancy Italian restaurant vibes but is so easy to make at home. Why add vodka to the sauce, you ask? It helps emulsify the fats and create a creaminess, plus a complexity and balance to the sauce that you can't achieve without it. This vodka sauce is luxurious! The key is to simmer the vodka pasta sauce for at least 30 minutes, to allow most of the alcohol to evaporate.
And, you must serve it garnished with extra parm and fresh basil, for the best experience. We do homemade breadsticks and green salad on the side. I promise even the pickiest eater will lick their plate clean.
Don't miss my other pasta recipes like Baked Mac and Cheese, Stuffed Shells, Lasagna, or Pastalaya!
How to make Penne alla Vodka:
Make Sauce: Heat olive oil and butter over medium low heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Add vodka and cook until reduced by half. Crush the whole tomatoes right into the pot. Add oregano and basil, reduce heat to medium low and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
Purée the sauce until smooth. Over low heat, stir in cream and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add cooked penne pasta and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Serve garnished with fresh chopped basil and extra parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with focaccia and a wedge salad.
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Recipe
Penne Alla Vodka
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup vodka (120g)
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes , undrained (San Marzano are best)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (114g)
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (33g), plus extra for serving
- fresh basil leaves , for garnish
Instructions
- Vodka sauce: Add olive oil and butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and cook for several minutes until translucent. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add vodka and cook until reduced by half.1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tablespoon butter, 1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ cup vodka
- Use (clean) hands to crush the whole tomatoes right into the pot, and add the rest of the juice from the can. Add dried oregano and basil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.1 28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Cook pasta: Meanwhile, cook penne pasta according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside.12 oz penne pasta
- Blend: Use an immersion blender, blender or food processor to puree the sauce until smooth.
- Finish: Reduce pot to low heat. Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 10 more minutes.Stir in cooked pasta and parmesan cheese.salt and freshly ground black pepper, ½ cup heavy cream, ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Serve garnished with fresh chopped basil and extra parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.fresh basil leaves
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe April 2020. Updated May 2025.
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I can’t drink vodka and didn’t want to buy, so I bought Classic vodka sauce. Then I sauteed 1/2 onion and 3 garlic cloves to dump sauce into. Finally, I added 1/4 cup parmesan. These were ingredients that were scanty in the bottle. It turned out pretty good! I also cooked pasta in Insta pot. What a heat saver.
Can you make without the vodka?
Absolutely! You can leave out the vodka—just substitute with a bit of broth or water to keep the sauce consistency.
just made it! instead of pancetta i used bacon, and instead of fresh basil (i used grinded basil) garnished and used chopped parsley instead and WOW! resting quality for sure. I made the sauce a little on the liquidy side but not too bad. It definitely would’ve worked with some fresh baked bread of garlic knots. BIG HIT DEFINITELY WILL COOK AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. Perfect comfort food, quick and easy recipe too.
YAY!!
Amazing. We had company over, used butter instead of heavy cream and they loved it. Served with homemade wholewheat fettucini and meatballs made with pork and veal.
Super easy and delicious!!
Delicious!
Delicious!!