Penne alla Vodka

StovetopMediumPrep 10 minCook 25 minServes 4

Tomato, cream and a splash of vodka simmer into a silky pink sauce that clings to every penne ridge — restaurant flavor from a pantry sauce.

Ingredients

12 oz penne
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup vodka
28 oz crushed tomatoes (1 can)
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

Cook the penne in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Cook the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes until soft, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until darkened, then pour in the vodka and simmer 2 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Stir in the cream and Parmesan until smooth, then toss with the pasta, adding pasta water as needed for a silky coat.
Serve immediately with extra Parmesan.

Serve with: burrata, basil and crusty bread for the sauce.

The vodka mostly cooks off, but it sharpens the tomato flavor and helps the sauce emulsify — do not skip it or swap in water.

Find this recipe in the Pasta section on the RecipeDelish home page, where you can scale it, print a clean PDF, download the shopping list and use cook mode.

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