
This Vodka Pasta, oregon Penne alla Vodka, tastes similar it came consecutive from a cosy Italian trattoria. The concealed lies successful the tomato-cream Vodka Sauce. It’s rich, silky, and conscionable a small spot fancy acknowledgment to a splash of vodka, yet dormant easy. I’m wholly besotted!

Late to the Vodka Pasta party!
I consciousness similar this was the viral pasta astir 5 years ago. I vaguely retrieve tons of chill young radical and rad chefs making it.
Naturally, I missed the inclination due to the fact that I’m conscionable not hep capable to support up! 😅 So I lone made it for the archetypal clip a fewer weekends agone and understood the hype. The condiment is affluent and velvety, and tastes acold much luxurious than the abbreviated ingredients database would suggest. And I ideate the usage of vodka gives it other street-cred with the younger generation.
Meanwhile, this un-hip dork is much chuffed implicit the convenience of utilizing a full packet of pasta and an full tub of herb paste – rather handy!
All jokes speech though, vodka is the magic. Like vino successful cooking, it adds extent and complexity that takes a elemental pick and herb condiment into wow territory. But, it doesn’t sensation alcoholic astatine all! (Unless you privation it to – conscionable support pouring).



What goes successful vodka pasta
You’ll spot versions astir that usage some canned herb oregon passata and herb paste, and the ratios of vodka, parmesan and pick are each implicit the place. But there’s wide statement connected the ingredients that spell in, truthful I don’t usage thing groundbreaking. Though successful shocking news, I strayed from my accustomed trusted sources (NYT Cooking, Ina Garten, Lidia Bastianich and America’s Test Kitchen) by lone utilizing herb paste due to the fact that I similar the flavour, with the bonus that it shaves 15 minutes disconnected the navigator time. See FAQ beneath for much dorky improvement chatter!
Ingredients successful Vodka Pasta
Ironically, adjacent though vodka is successful the name, this is inactive perfectly worthy making without vodka. 🙂 Though I’d substitute with either a slosh of vino oregon chickenhearted stock, other the condiment is simply a small excessively 1 dimensional.
If you’re cooking for kids, adhd the vodka earlier truthful you tin thoroughly navigator retired astir of the alcohol. For grown ups, it’s bully to adhd it successful towards the extremity (don’t worry, won’t sensation boozy, but you get much of the floraly notes).

Vodka – Use immoderate you’ve got! And present you each cognize what my go-to is. 🙂 Avoid flavoured vodkas – not definite present is the clip to usage that Apple Vodka you were huffy for past summer!
Substitute with gin (not 1 excessively herbaceous though), achromatic vino oregon for non alcoholic, usage chickenhearted stock/broth instead.
Pasta – Penne is classic, ziti is fundamentally the aforesaid (it’s penne, but with ridges), rigatoni is besides precise popular. Though really, you tin marque this with immoderate signifier pasta – agelong oregon abbreviated – and it’s going to beryllium fab. Oh hold – I’d debar tiny pasta though, similar risoni/orzo, ditalini, dinosaur pasta. I deliberation there’s excessively overmuch sauce.
Tomato paste (UK: herb purée) – I emotion that this look uses a full modular tub of herb paste! I usage regular though “double concentrate” is good too. Use the aforesaid magnitude arsenic I find the flavour is not immoderate stronger though it does person richer herb flavour. However, we navigator disconnected the herb paste successful this look which improves the flavour truthful the prime quality doesn’t travel into play here.
Note: US modular tubes are 133g (4.5oz), Aussie tubs and cans are 140g (this is what the look calls for), and tubes are 130g. That 7g oregon 10g quality won’t ruin your dinner, promise! 🙂
Garlic and onion – Essential aromatics for the sauce.
Cream – Use thickened pick (US: dense cream, UK: treble cream) arsenic it is simply a small thicker than regular pouring cream. Though actually, immoderate pourable pick should enactment good successful this look arsenic it uses truthful overmuch herb paste which does overmuch of the dense lifting to thicken the sauce.
Low fat pick volition enactment good but it volition deficiency the creamy mouthfeel of afloat abdominous cream. Cream alternate – evaporated milk, but again, it’s adjacent little creamy mouthfeel than debased abdominous cream.
Red capsicum flakes (chilli flakes) – Optional extra, I usage 1/2 spoon which gives this a beauteous inheritance hum of warmth which I truly similar successful this creamy sauce. Also feels a small grown up for a grown-up sauce. 🙂
Parmesan – Adds brackish into the condiment that’s much absorbing than conscionable utilizing salt. Plus, other for garnish!
Pinch of parsley for sprinkle, if you’re feeling fancy.

How to marque Vodka Pasta
The timing of this look works good truthful the condiment is acceptable erstwhile the pasta is cooked. It’s a large nary accent recipe!

Boil the pasta successful a ample cookware of salted h2o for the clip per the packet directions until it’s al dente (just cooked, not brushed and mushy).
Save pasta h2o – Just earlier draining, springiness the pasta a large disturbance to agitate the starch (ie marque the watery murky) past scoop retired 1 cupful of the water. We’re going to usage this erstwhile tossing the pasta successful the sauce.
💡This is simply a cardinal measurement for making pasta dishes to marque the condiment cling to the pasta (and truthful ending up successful your mouth!) alternatively of pooling successful the basal of your bowl. The starch successful pasta h2o emulsifies with the sauce’s fat, people thickening it and making it instrumentality to the pasta. Cooking subject astatine work!

Sauté the bulb and ail connected mean precocious until translucent, astir 1 1/2 minutes. Then navigator disconnected the herb paste. This isn’t a modular measurement successful each vodka sauces but I deliberation it truly makes a quality – it takes disconnected the sour borderline and deepens the flavour. It besides levels the playing tract whether utilizing a bully Italian marque (like Mutti treble concentrated herb paste) oregon generic brands.
Simmer – Add the cream, premix to dissolve the herb paste in, past adhd the vodka, chilli flakes, brackish and pepper. Lower the vigor to mean truthful it’s simmering mildly and navigator for 3 minutes, stirring regularly truthful the basal doesn’t drawback – important, due to the fact that this pick condiment is thicker than accustomed due to the fact that of the magnitude of herb paste successful it. Then disturbance the parmesan successful until melted (literally takes seconds).
TIPS: If your pasta isn’t acceptable yet, crook disconnected the stove astatine this point. Cooking for kids? Add the vodka earlier the herb paste and navigator until mostly evaporated to navigator retired the alcohol.

Toss flip toss! Add the pasta and 1/2 cupful of the reserved pasta cooking h2o (see measurement 2 for what this does). Toss connected mean vigor for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes oregon until the pasta is coated successful the pasta sauce.
Serve immediately with a ablution of other parmesan and a pinch of parsley!

I lukewarm the pasta bowls
I cognize this is simply a random spot to talk rant astir this, but I similar to lukewarm pasta bowls for creamy pastas – person I mentioned this before?? Creamy sauces thicken accelerated and by the clip you’re halfway done (especially if you spent the archetypal fewer minutes attacking garlic bread), it’s gone from silky to……. well, little so. By utilizing a lukewarm bowl, you tin support the creamy sauces silky for longer.
So I lukewarm bowls successful the microwave portion the condiment is simmering – 30 seconds for one, 1 infinitesimal for four, past permission them successful determination until I’m acceptable to serve. A tiny happening that makes a large difference!
Anyway, capable astir lukewarm bowls 😅 Hope you springiness this 1 a spell – classical Italian trattoria food, made easy astatine home! – Nagi x
PS A broadside of Garlic Bread, Mega Italian Salad and Tiramisu volition truly marque you consciousness similar you’re astatine a rustic Italian restaurant!
Vodka Pasta FAQ
Is this a accepted Italian pasta?
Apparently not, it’s an Italian-American dish. Details of existent origins are somewhat murky but I’ve work that it was primitively invented arsenic a selling propulsion for vodka income backmost successful the 1970’s. Clever! 🙂
Can this beryllium made without vodka?
Yes it can, though it volition nary longer beryllium a Vodka Pasta! But it is simply a divine creamy herb pasta if you usage chickenhearted stock/broth alternatively to support it non alcoholic, oregon you tin usage achromatic wine. The look paper offers suggestions!
Best pasta to usage for Vodka Pasta?
Penne is accepted – Penne alla Vodka – though rigatoni seems to beryllium rather fashionable too. But this condiment volition truly enactment with immoderate abbreviated oregon agelong pasta. Just debar precise tiny ones – similar risoni/orzo, tiny stars etc – arsenic I deliberation they volition get mislaid successful this creamy sauce.
Add ins?
Absolutely! Vodka pasta is simply a large blank canvas for extras. Stir done shredded cooked chickenhearted oregon shrimp/prawns for a macromolecule boost, oregon navigator immoderate bacon oregon pancetta with the bulb for added flavour. Sautéed mushrooms and babe spinach would enactment nicely too. Just debar thing excessively bold that mightiness overpower the creamy-tomato flavour – this condiment is the star!
Also, see reducing the magnitude of pasta somewhat other you whitethorn beryllium abbreviated connected sauce, oregon summation the magnitude of condiment (click connected servings and slide).
How did you make this recipe?
I cognize the instauration suggests I’ve ne'er had Vodka Pasta before, but I person actually, though rather agelong ago, good earlier it became “trendy”. I deliberation the archetypal clip was astatine Lidia Bastianich’s NYC Becco edifice backmost successful 2016. They had an fantabulous meal peculiar with starters and all-you-can-eat pastas of the day, and I surely got my money’s worth! I went backmost aggregate times – I conscionable emotion Lidia, I ever have, since mode backmost erstwhile her TV shows archetypal aired successful Australia.
Here successful Sydney, I consciousness similar I’ve seen Vodka pasta precocious connected the paper of immoderate of the much modern interior metropolis and fringe Italian restaurants (any readers assistance maine retired here??) but I was swayed successful different directions by different offerings. So overmuch large pasta retired there, truthful small time! 😭
In coming up with my recipe, I mostly referenced by trusted sources – (predictably) NYT Cooking, Ina Garten, Lidia Bastianich, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen.
Opinions connected the quantities alteration but mostly the ingredients see herb (canned and/or crushed oregon passata), cream, vodka (gasp!😆), parmesan, bulb and garlic. To get strength of herb flavour from canned tomato, you request to navigator it down ~15 minutes, and the sourness varies depending connected the prime you usage (economical tomatoes are sour, adjacent sometimes greenish un-ripe lumps!).
While Serious Eats likes the caller notes from canned tomatoes, I was blessed with brightness the condiment gets from vodka (especially arsenic I adhd it towards the extremity – the earlier you adhd it, the little flavour you get) truthful I lone utilized herb paste.
The 1 happening I bash that doesn’t look to beryllium modular is to navigator disconnected the herb paste which improves the flavour, takes immoderate (but not all) the sour borderline disconnected (some is nice, to chopped done the richness of the cream) and besides levels the playing tract betwixt regular herb paste and pricier double-concentrate.
Honestly though, this was not a hard look to develop, it’s a modular tomato-cream pasta condiment with the magic interaction of vodka. Much of it comes down to idiosyncratic sensation – however tomatoey bash you privation it, however silky (large bulb lumps bothered me, truthful I bash importune connected good dicing), however boozy (I don’t similar harsh vodka flavour, but I privation a hint of floral notes other there’s nary point?).
I had a fewer goes myself past made it for the squad for lunch, and based connected their absorption it was an casual determination to stock the look with you!
How did you and JB enactment unneurotic connected this recipe?
To beryllium honest, this was a beauteous straightforward look truthful I didn’t truly request to consult with JB. I made it to get his sentiment – I was peculiarly funny whether helium thought it was lacking brighter herb notes due to the fact that I lone utilized herb paste – and helium truly liked it arsenic it was, different than a insignificant accommodation for the magnitude of salt.
So past JB made it to treble cheque – we person a strict regularisation that nary look goes retired without some of america making it independently, nary substance however elemental oregon hard the look – past I filmed and photographed it, past published it today!

Watch however to marque it

Penne alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 500g / 1 lb penne oregon ziti (rigatoni is besides a fave, other immoderate different pasta)
- 2 tsp cooking brackish / kosher salt , for pasta cooking water
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 small onion , finely diced (smaller dice than accustomed is better)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/2 cupful (140g / 4.5 oz) tomato paste (UK: herb puree)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy / thickened cream (UK: treble pick – Note 2)
- 1/3 cup vodka , oregon chickenhearted stock/broth for intoxicant escaped (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp red capsicum flakes (chilli flakes), 100% optional
- 3/4 tsp cooking brackish / kosher salt (halve for array salt)
- Pinch black pepper
- 50g / 1 loosely packed cup freshly grated parmesan , positive much for serving (Note 4)
- 1/2 cup+ pasta cooking water (Note 5)
- 2 tsp parsley , finely chopped, for serving (optional)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED:
- Sauté ail and onion, navigator disconnected herb paste, simmer with cream, vodka, chilli flakes, S&P 3 min, disturbance successful parmesan astatine end. Toss with pasta and 1/2 cupful pasta water, eat!
FULL RECIPE:
- Cook pasta – Bring a ample cookware of h2o to the boil with the pasta salt. Cook pasta per the packet directions until al dente. (Meanwhile navigator the sauce)
- ⭐️ Reserve pasta h2o – Just earlier draining, springiness the pasta a large disturbance to agitate the starch past scoop retired a cupful of the water. Then drain the pasta.
Vodka sauce:
- Sauté – Heat the lipid successful a ample cookware oregon non-stick cookware implicit mean precocious heat. Cook the bulb and ail for 1 1/2 minutes until translucent. Add the herb paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until it darkens successful colour (lower vigor if catching connected base).
- Make condiment – Add the cream, disturbance good to dissolve the herb paste. Then adhd the chilli flakes, salt, capsicum and vodka. Simmer connected debased for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir successful the parmesan until melted, past crook disconnected the vigor until the pasta is ready.
- Toss! Add the pasta and 1/2 cupful of the pasta cooking water. Over mean vigor connected the stove, disturbance for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes until each the pasta is nicely coated with the rust coloured sauce, utilizing other pasta cooking h2o to loosen if needed.
- Serve instantly successful warmed pasta bowls* with a dusting of other parmesan and pinch of parsley. Add a broadside of garlic bread and big Italian Salad, past decorativeness with Tiramisu for a classical trattoria repast astatine home!
Notes
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
Dozer spends a batch of clip sleeping nether the array – truthful I walk a batch of clip nether determination too. 🙂


The station Vodka Pasta appeared archetypal connected RecipeTin Eats.