Creamy Tomato Penne alla Vodka

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You must try this delicious recipe, a creamy pasta with a pink sauce based on the classic penne alla vodka pasta. The secret to the incredibly tasty cream sauce is a touch of vodka (or gin!) along with tomato puree and fresh rosemary. This dish is a quick, plush-tasting pasta dinner you’ll crave again and again.

Oh, penne alla vodka. Who doesn’t love it? Next to a batch of a classic marinara sauce recipe with herbs , pasta with vodka sauce is one of the most well-known Italian pasta dishes ever.

This vodka pasta recipe blows my mind every time I make it — penne pasta tossed in a rich, tomato-based cream sauce, seasoned with chopped onion, fresh rosemary and crushed red chili.

The words “vodka sauce” throw me back instantly to the 1980s, bringing visions of MTV and sky-high permed hair. There’s a good reason vodka sauce pasta is still so popular. The creamy pink sauce has a perfect balance of tangy tomato, sweet cream, and pasta.

In other words, it’s the ultimate comfort food recipe that tastes like something you’d order at your favorite Italian restaurant along with a big bowl of spaghetti amatriciana.

Ingredients in vodka sauce

One great thing about this recipe is that you probably have everything in your pantry to start cooking this recipe right now. Grab a large skillet and your pasta pot!

• Dried penne, ziti, mostaccioli or other tubular-shaped pasta: I recommend short pasta shapes labeled “rigate”, which in Italian means the pasta has lines etched into the surface. Those lines grab more of the sauce!
• Gin or vodka: Vodka is a clear, neutral spirt, but you can give gin a try if you have it. The alcohol dissipates while simmering, so don’t worry about getting tipsy.
• Tomato puree or crushed tomatoes: Bottled tomato puree (passata), strained tomatoes or pureed, canned crushed tomatoes are what you want for the smoothest sauce.
• Heavy cream: We’ve also used full-fat unsweetened oat milk and it works great!
• Onion or shallot
• Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter. Ghee or olive oil will also work for a reduced lactose sauce.
• Fresh rosemary sprigs: If you don’t have it, you can use chopped fresh parsley, fresh oregano or fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the pasta when it’s done.
• Crushed red chili: Red pepper flakes add a subtle layer of heat, but not too much. If you’re sensitive to hot food, use grated black pepper instead.
• Parmesan cheese: Get the freshly grated kind, or better yet buy a hunk of good quality Parmesan and grate it yourself.

What does vodka do to pasta sauce?

Vodka melds with the cream and tomato in the sauce, but the alcohol dissipates during the cooking process, leaving behind a subtle flavor.

In theory, infused vodkas such as red pepper or herb vodkas will add more flavor to pasta sauces. But, does vodka sauce really need vodka to taste really delicious? The answer is no! One reason I created this recipe is that at some point we started using gin as our “house” spirit instead of plain, neutral-tasting vodka.

Having gin on hand led to experimenting. Sure enough, I found gin is a perfect ingredient to use to cook the classic “vodka” pasta sauce.

Like vodka, gin has a clear color. The difference is that basic vodka doesn’t have much taste, but gin has herbal and botanical notes that add complexity.

Vodka simply can’t match that flavor-wise. That said, if you only have vodka in your kitchen, please use it! And don’t worry — you will not get drunk from a plate of penne vodka, I promise.

I thew in a bit of chopped fresh rosemary to the sauce. It’s not authentic in vodka sauce, but rosemary is an herb that always reminds me of gin’s piney-fresh juniper scent. Feel free to omit it, or simply garnish the finished dish with fresh chopped parsley or basil leaves.

Alcohol-free penne vodka sauce

If you’re craving pasta alla vodka but happen to be avoiding alcohol in all forms, you can easily use an equal amount of vegetable or chicken stock in its place.

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Creamy Tomato Penne alla Vodka

Karen Tedesco

You must try this delicious twist on a classic vodka pasta sauce! The secret to the incredibly tasty cream sauce is that you can uses vodka OR gin, along with tomato puree, heavy cream and fresh rosemary. This dish is makes a quick, plush-tasting pasta dinner you'll crave again and again.

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4.89 from 53 community reviews

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 12 ounces (350 g) dried penne, ziti or other tubular shaped pasta
• ▢ 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter
• ▢ ½ cup finely chopped onion or shallot
• ▢ ½ cup (125 ml) plain vodka, or gin
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups (300 g) tomato passata or puree
• ▢ 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
• ▢ ½-1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper, to your taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ ¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese , plus more for serving

US Customary – Metric

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot along with 3 tablespoons salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a wide pan large enough to hold the pasta. Add the onion and cook 1 minute, or until softened.  Pour in the gin and lower the heat to medium-low. Gently simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, cream, red pepper, rosemary and ½ teaspoon salt. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
• When the pasta is done, drain it and add to the pan. Reduce heat to low, add the cheese and stir until pasta is coated with the sauce. Serve with additional cheese and rosemary on top.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

• Make the sauce 1-3 days ahead. Reheat it in a small pan, adding 1-2 tablespoons water or broth as needed if has thickened too much. Cook the pasta and immediately toss with the sauce.
• If you don’t have fresh rosemary, simply garnish the finished dish with fresh chopped parsley or basil leaves.
• Non-dairy option: We successfully used creamy unsweetened oat milk instead of cream and olive oil instead of butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 661kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1435IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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• Italian
• Pasta
• Sauces
• Tomatoes

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

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I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.