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? 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.
Sure, the words “vodka sauce” throw me back instantly to the 1980s, bringing visions of MTV and sky-high permed hair. But 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.
Essential 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!
- 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: This ingredient is essential for the velvety texture of the sauce. I’ve also tested the sauce usin full-fat unsweetened oat milk and it works great.
- 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!
How vodka works in 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! Once I created this recipe, at 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 works just as well to make a classic “vodka” pasta sauce.
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.
Creamy Tomato Penne alla Vodka
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
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.
- I love to add chopped fresh rosemary to the sauce. It’s not authentic in vodka sauce, but rosemary is an herb that has a piney-fresh juniper scent. Feel free to omit it, or simply garnish the finished dish with fresh chopped parsley or basil leaves.
- Non-dairy option: I’ve successfully used creamy unsweetened oat milk instead of cream and olive oil instead of butter.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
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.
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A very simple, yummy and versatile recipe! I used vodka, no gin on hand, and no rosemary. For the 4 serving recipe, I added a couple pinches of cayenne, a teaspoon or more to taste of smoked paprika, and a smidge of garlic salt. Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Karen
Do you have a reasonably simple method for a bisque sauce for shell fish pasta
Hi Graham – I’m testing out a simple recipe for a seafood bisque sauce. I’ll share it with you soon!
Amazing recipe! I added garlic to the onions, garlic instead of rosemary and a pinch of white sugar.
If you make the sauce 1-3 days ahead, will it work well on a pizza instead of pasta?
Hi Joel – Yes, I think it can work as a pizza sauce. You may need to simmer it for a few extra minutes to reduce it to a thicker consistency. The sauce will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
This was so good! I made a vegan version with cashew cream and vegan parmesan and butter. Also used some vegetable bouillon granules for some extra savory flavor. Amazing, definitely a lot of complex herbal, citrus and pine notes.
Just made this for dinner with oat milk and was so easy it turned out SO good!
Thanks for coming up with this recipie. Being from an Italian-Argentinian background, when I moved to the US and quickly vsaw vodka sauce was the “the thing,” I thought, vodka? Really? No way Its neutral profile is anathema! I always thought gin is a much better option. It really makes sense what you say about the rosemary’s piney notes enhancing the gin’s juniper scent. Looks like a total winner. Can’t wait to make it! Thanks again;
Great recipe! Just made it for the first time. I took the liberty in adding 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. oregano.
5 stars!
So glad to hear!
Is penne vodka rly a throwback?
<3
Oh, I’ll have some of that! (and there will be negronis here when you get here!)