Italian Penne Alla Vodka Recipe (2024)

Published: Jan 31, 2020 · Modified: Mar 9, 2024 by Helene Dsouza

Helene Dsouza

Penne alla Vodka Sauce Recipe. 30 minute weeknight dinner.

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

4 servings

5 from 1 vote

VIDEO RECIPE

Penne alla vodka is a quick and easy vegetarian dinner meal.

This recipe is for you if you are looking for homemade comfort food prepared in less than 30 minutes.

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What is Penne alla Vodka?

Penne alla Vodka is a Italian pasta dinner dish.

The main ingredients are vodka, tomato, and cream.

The vodka acts as an emulsifier and therefore binds the oils and other sauce ingredients, which results in a creamy sauce.

The slight taste of vodka makes this dish also a favorite in most Italian food restaurants across the globe.

Vodka alla Pasta is enhanced with Parmesan Cheese.

Ingredients

This is a quick overview, designed to help you decide to make this for dinner. The full recipe is located further below in the recipe card.

olive oil - alternativly vegetable oil
onion - white, yellow or purple
garlic - fresh
tomato sauce - plain
italian seaosning - or oregano
cayenne pepper - ground or paprika
black pepper and salt
vodka
table cream (aka liquid cream) or heavy cream or half and half
penne pasta
parmesan - grated to garnish

How to make it?

You are going to love this dish if you are looking for a quick one-pot pasta dinner meal!

This is how it's roughly done.

Find the detailed instructions with ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. The how-to video will pop up (refresh the page if you closed it).

Step 1

Saute onion and garlic.

Pour in tomato sauce.

Step 2

Stir in seasonings and vodka.

Combine your sauce.

Step 3

Finish the sauce with cream or half and half. Mix.

Mix sauce into cooked pasta and top with parmesan.

Variations

You can pep up your penne vodka sauce and call it your own by adding the following ingredients to the sauce during the cooking process:

Cured meats such as pancetta, prosciutto and bacon
Meats such as chicken, sausage and even meatballs
Seafood including shrimp and salmon
Mushrooms
Vegetables such as spinach, zucchini, broccoli
Saffron spice to make it yellow (popular in Italy)
Red Pepper Flakes to add heat

Serving

I love this pasta dish with a salad to balance the carbs.

Light side dish salads prepared with lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and radish make a great addition to this penne sauce.

FAQs

Can you get drunk on a vodka sauce?

The pasta sauce contains only small quantities of vodka. You won't get tipsy or drunk, the vodka is for flavor and it helps to bind the sauce.

Can you make this dish ahead of time?

Yes, you can add this dish to your meal plan or you can make it ahead of time. Just prepare the sauce as described and store it in the fridge. You can choose to cook the pasta ahead of time or to cook it just before serving time. Coat pasta with warmed up sauce and serve warm.

Can you freeze the sauce?

Yes, you can freeze your alla vodka pasta sauce. Prepare the sauce as per recipe and create batches before freezing so that you can take out a batch at a time whenever you need it. To thaw keep in the fridge overnight or place into micro or oven and use the thawing option. Warm-up enough to serve over cooked pasta.

Can I use another pasta variety instead of penne?

Yes. Sometimes I just use what I have at home and it's equally tasty. Just know that some pasta varieties are recommended because of the way they are coated by the sauce.

More Pasta Sauce Recipes

Quick Salmon Pasta
Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Chicken Alfredo Fettuccine
Chicken Fajita Pasta by momfoodie.com

Global Food Recipes

with Spices and Herbs

Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!

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📖 Recipe

Penne alla Vodka Recipe

Penne alla Vodka Sauce Recipe. 30 minute weeknight dinner.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 389kcal

Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

Ingredients

For the Sauce

▢ 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
▢ 1 Onion sliced
▢ 2 Pieces Garlic Cloves chopped
▢ 11.9 Fluid Ounces Tomato Sauce plain
▢ 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning or Oregano
▢ 1-2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Ground or Paprika
▢ Black Pepper Ground pinch
▢ Salt pinch
▢ ¼ Cup Vodka
▢ ¼ Cup Table Cream *see Notes

Pasta

▢ 1 Packet Penne Pasta = 8.8 ounce dried, cook pasta soft

To Garnish

▢ Parmesan grated

US - Metric

Instructions

Heat up a pan with the olive oil and add the sliced onion and chopped garlic. Cook soft on medium heat.
Pour in the plain tomato sauce and combine.
Season with Italian seasoning or oregano, with cayenne pepper or paprika and combine.
Simmer your sauce for 5 minutes, so that the flavors can develop.
Season further with black pepper and salt. Also pour in the vodka and mix it all over medium to slow heat.
Pour in liquid cream and combine too.
Let the sauce simmer over a slower flame for a bit. Take from the heat when it starts to boil or else the vodka will evaporate.
Pour sauce over cooked penne and combine.
Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Notes

Use liquid cream or heavy cream or half and half for the desired thickness of the sauce.
You can add other ingredients to this recipe, look up variations in the post.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Penne alla Vodka Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 389Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 8mg3%

Sodium 469mg20%

Potassium 496mg14%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 686IU14%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 59mg6%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.