Penne alla Vodka
Rated 3.7 stars by 3 users
Category
Race the Clock
Servings
4
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Author:
Three Farm Daughters
Who knew that Penne alla Vodka - everyone’s favorite pasta at the local Italian trattoria - was not only super simple to make at home, but speedy too? This creamy tomato sauce is deceptively delicious, and the secret behind its rich tang and velvety texture is a generous scoop of concentrated tomato paste.
Unlock the most authentic restaurant-worthy flavors by using the highest quality ingredients you can get your hands on. All that’s missing is unlimited breadsticks!
Ingredients
1 box Three Farm Daughters Penne
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
4 cloves Garlic, crushed
½ cup Tomato Paste, highest-quality Italian brand
Pinch Dried Chili Flakes
⅓ cup Vodka
⅔ cup Heavy Cream
⅔ cup Parmesan, plus more to serve
¼ cup fresh Basil leaves
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Gently sauté onion for 5 minutes, until translucent but not yet starting to brown. Add garlic, tomato paste and chili flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is fragrant and starting to thicken, around 4 minutes.
Pour over the vodka and deglaze the pan, stirring in any caramelized bits stuck to the bottom. Crank up the heat to medium-high and simmer for 3 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Once you can’t detect a strong vodka smell, turn off the heat while you prepare the pasta.
Cook penne according to package directions, saving 1 ½ cups of the pasta cooking water before draining. Finally, return the tomato sauce to medium heat and stir in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Pour in the heavy cream and parmesan and stir until combined, then turn off the heat.
Fold cooked penne through the creamy tomato sauce, adding more pasta water a tablespoon at a time to form a luscious, velvety sauce.
To serve, grate over more parmesan and scatter with torn basil leaves. Goes beautifully with a simple green salad!
