Penne alla Vodka
Penne alla Vodka is easy, elegant comfort food. Perfect for those busy weeknights, but delicious enough for company!! Your family will request it over and over.
If you’re concerned about the alcohol, most should evaporate during the cooking process, making this Penne with Vodka Sauce a family-friendly recipe!
Why You Should Make this Pasta Recipe
- The pickiest family member LOVES this recipe.
- It’s made of easily accessible ingredients. Most of which are staples in my kitchen.
- It’s quick to throw together and pure comfort food.
I have the world’s pickiest eater in my household. You loyal readers may know about my husband and how he feigns allergies to mushrooms, nuts, pineapple, etc. just to avoid eating those ingredients. But my daughter is even worse!
So when I find a dish she loves, it makes its way into our meal rotation. This simple and delicious Penne alla Vodka is a frequent birthday dinner request. Katie often picks a crazy complicated birthday cake, like the red velvet checkerboard number this year, so an easy main dish is welcomed.
Tips for Making Penne with Vodka Sauce
This Penne alla Vodka is creamy with a hit of heat and a classic Italian pasta recipe that’s truly a winner.
- PRO-Tip: Did you know alcohol is a flavor enhancer like salt? The vodka will evaporate during the cooking process but magically intensifies the deliciousness along the way.
- Modify the crushed red pepper flakes for your family’s palate. The 1/2 teaspoon in my recipe is perfect for our family, but if you’d like a spicier pasta, feel free to up the amount.
- Taste first, then add more seasonings if desired. You can always add extra, but if you make it too spicy, it’s hard to fix!
- The heavy cream is key for a rich sauce with a delicious mouthfeel. Don’t be tempted to use milk instead. If you’re worried about calories, just practice portion control.
- I like cooking pasta al dente, meaning to the tooth in Italian. You don’t want your pasta mushy, but instead, still firm and cooked through.
- Make sure your pasta water is well salted (should taste like the sea!) and at a rolling boil before adding the penne.
- PRO-Tip: Pull a noodle out of the boiling water at the shortest time listed on the packaging and bite into it. If it’s still hard in the middle, cook a minute or two longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vodka provides a touch of heat along with a subtle enhancing of the flavors of tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan in the sauce. The sauce does not have an obvious flavor of the liquor.
Yes, as the sauce cooks, the alcohol evaporates as long as it’s simmered long enough to thicken slightly. It should be safe for children to eat penne alla vodka.
More Family-Friendly Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:
- Pizza Pasta Bake from Spend with Pennies
- Chicken Piccata Pasta
- Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Classic Italian Meat Sauce
- Cavatini Supreme
- Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
- Chicken with Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pasta
- More Pasta Recipes
Helpful Tools:
- Large Saucepan (affiliate links)
- Serving Bowl
Penne alla Vodka
A quick creamy tomato and vodka pasta sauce served with penne.
Ingredients
- 2 14.5-ounce cans Diced Tomatoes
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large shallot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Start water boiling, add enough salt to make water taste briny, and cook penne according to package instructions
- While the pasta water is heating up, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Add garlic and shallots and cook till soft. Add tomatoes and their juices plus crushed red pepper flakes, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes.
- Add vodka and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes (longer if you want to ensure all alcohol has evaporated).
- Stir in cream and basil, then add drained pasta. Mix in Parmesan. Gently heat until the sauce is hot.
- Serve immediately. Pass extra Parmesan to top pasta if desired.
Notes
Alcohol is a flavor enhancer like salt, so don't omit the vodka. If you're worried about the alcohol, once you add the vodka, cook it long enough so the alcohol evaporated.
Make sure your pasta water is well salted. It will taste better that way.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 499mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g
*Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may be linked to a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, and age-related eye disorders.
33 Comments on “Penne alla Vodka”
This is my new go-to weeknight dish. Pasta never disappoints. And this sauce is just 100%. SO GOOD.
I wouldn’t change a thing about this! It’s fantastic.
Such a flavorful and tasty meal!
One of my favorite pasta dishes! I love vodka sauce!
We’re Hunts Tomato fans also and penne is my favorite variety of pasta. My picky hubby would probably need sausage or ground beef but I’m fine with it just as it is.
I love what cream does to a tomato sauce. Beautiful dish!
Mmm, this sounds like a fabulous weeknight meal!
mmmm this looks like the perfect vodka sauce!!
Piping hot pasta sounds perfect for this cold week we’re having! The sauce sounds delicious too. I can see why your daughter requests it!
Penne & Volka? What a treat, Liz! xoxo
Didn’t realize Hunt’s was from California…Anyway, your combo of Hunt’s tomatoes with pasta and vodka is sublime. Just the right balance of tastes and textures =)
So good! I can understand Katie! I love this kind of dishes also. Confort food is the best! x
Very unusual with the vodka. Hope you are having a great weekend, Liz. 🙂