Add olive oil and butter to a large pot over medium low 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.
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.
Meanwhile, cook penne pasta according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Use a bender or food processor to puree the sauce until smooth.
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.
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.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: Make the sauce, but don’t add the pasta. Store the sauce and cooked pasta separately in the fridge. Add the sauce to a saucepan to rewarm and then stir in the pasta. Freezing instructions: Make the sauce through step 4 before adding the cream or pasta. Allow the sauce to cool and then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or over low heat in a saucepan. Once warm in saucepan, add cream, cooked pasta, and cheese. You could freeze the fully assembled dish as well, just know that upon reheating the sauce may have a slightly different texture due to the cream, and it wont be quite as sauce because of the noodles soaking up some of the sauce.