Ok, so our secret Penne Alla Vodka recipe is no longer a secret. This recipe and technique has been fine tuned over the years, and we’ve perfected it down to this. It is so creamy and flavorful, literally pasta lover heaven. I could just eat the sauce by itself with a big piece of garlic bread… SO GOOD!
Penne Alla Vodka
So for a little background… We always made our Penne Alla Vodka from leftover Sunday sauce. Although that’s a completely separate recipe in itself, our sauce would cook for hours consisting of whole peeled plum tomatoes, large chunks of onion, celery, and garlic, that would then get hand blended together. We then cook our meatballs, sausage, braciole and pork bones in the sauce to infuse it with delicious meat flavors. Truly a labor of love, and always worth it.
When it came time to make our vodka sauce, we’d throw that incredible Sunday sauce in a pan with more fresh garlic, cream, and seasonings. Now I think you can imagine how this recipe came to be… We wanted to figure out a way to get the same amazing outcome without the entire process of making our Sunday sauce first. After much experimenting, we’ve fine tuned it to this recipe and method, and it does NOT disappoint!
By pureeing the onion, celery, and garlic, we are able to pull their delicious flavors into the vodka sauce while keeping the smooth, creamy consistency and texture we love. The pancetta does an incredible job of adding the meaty flavors and aromas. The Pecorino Romano brings the creaminess to the next level, and adds the perfect saltiness.
How to Make Penne Alla Vodka
- Puree onions, celery, and garlic. Put salted water to boil.
- Cook diced pancetta in a preheated pan with olive oil. When crispy, add in the onion/celery/garlic puree and seasonings.
- Caramelize the mixture, then deglaze your pan with vodka.
- Mix in crushed tomatoes and let simmer. Put penne to boil.
- Pour in heavy cream, stir until combined.
- Mix in grated Pecorino Romano and chopped parsley.
- When the penne is al dente, add it into the pan and gently fold into the sauce.
- Plate and garnish with more grated Pecorino Romano and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
You can adjust the thickness / wetness of your vodka sauce with the amount of heavy cream you add in. If you like a looser, wetter sauce simply add more heavy cream, and less for a thicker, dryer sauce.
Common Questions About Penne Alla Vodka
If your vodka sauce is watery it is most likely due to the crushed tomatoes and onion/celery/garlic puree retaining too much water. It is important to cook out most of their moisture, allowing them to reduce and thicken during the cooking process.
This happens when you don’t allow the alcohol to completely cook out when you deglaze your pan.
This will naturally happen as the moisture content in the sauce evaporates out. You will definitely notice this if you have leftover Penne Alla Vodka and you are reheating it. To fix this issue, simply add some more heavy cream and gently fold the pasta and sauce over a low heat. Slowly add more cream until you achieve your desired consistency, and salt/pepper to taste!
Yes you can! Simply follow the same recipe steps, and when the sauce is complete simply let it cool, and put it in a container or jar in the refrigerator until you are ready to boil penne and serve it. To reheat vodka sauce, pour it into a pan on low heat, stirring constantly, and bring it up to temperature slowly. Add more cream until you achieve your desired consistency, and salt/pepper to taste!
If you don’t have access to pancetta for your vodka sauce, you can substitute it with bacon or prosciutto. Preferably thick cut bacon or thick cut prosciutto if possible.
Super Creamy Penne Alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1 onion medium
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup pancetta diced
- ¼ cup vodka
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream plus extra to adjust consistency
- ¼ cup pecorino romano grated
- 1 tsp salt plus extra for pasta water
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ cup italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Puree the onion, celery, and garlic in a food processor. Put a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
- Preheat a pan on medium-high heat. When hot, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and add in your diced pancetta. Cook the pancetta until it begins to brown and become crispy. Then add in your onion/celery/garlic puree, stirring constantly. Cook until the puree begins to reduce and caramelize. Then sprinkle in salt, oregano, black pepper, and red chili flakes. Continue cooking and stirring for another 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with vodka. Be very careful as the vodka can ignite into a flame (it is actually preferable for the alcohol to ignite and Flambé, however you should use potentially dangerous cooking techniques at your own risk and skill level). Once the alcohol has been cooked out, add in the crushed tomatoes and stir to fully combine. Bring to a low simmer and allow the crushed tomatoes to reduce for about 5 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning on the bottom of the pan. If your pot of salted water has begun to boil, add in the penne to start boiling.
- Once the crushed tomatoes have reduced and thickened, remove the pan from the heat. After a few minutes when the crushed tomatoes are no longer simmering and have cooled a bit, pour in the heavy cream, and stir to combine into a creamy sauce. Once combined, begin heating the sauce slowly on a low heat, just until it is about to simmer (don't let it simmer). Once heated, add in the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, chopped parsley, and stir in until fully combined. At this point, you will want to taste test the sauce to determine if it needs more salt and/or pepper.
- When the penne is al dente, strain it, add into the pan, and gently fold the pasta into the sauce. Allow the pasta to sit fully submerged in the sauce for a few minutes, and then serve. Garnish with more grated Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Came out really good!! My new favorite vodka sauce recipe
So good !
Never thought to make it like this but the end result was delectable. Thank you.
HOLY COW! THIS WAS THE BEST VODKA SAUCE I’VE EVER HAD.
I’m not a great cook, but if I can follow this recipe, so can you! It was simple and delicious. I’ve tried other penne alla vodka recipes in the past but none are as good as this one! Thanks Danielle!
So glad you enjoyed it!
We made this a few nights ago for dinner and it came out so creamy and delicious! We really caramelized the onion and garlic puree and it gave it such a wonderful flavor!
I never thought to try this method with the onions and garlic being pureed but it was so flavorful and stayed smooth and creamy! Genius. YUM!
OK!!! Hands Down the Best Vodka recipe ever! I’ve tried other recipes but none come close to this!! Thank you for sharing.
Hands down the best penne alla vodka I’ve ever made and I made it with bacon since I didn’t have pancetta. I can only imagine how good it would be if I made with pancetta, can’t wait to try it next time.
Holy Moly! This Was Amazing! I Made It Spicy With Extra Red Pepper!
OK this is my new favorite vodka sauce recipe. Didn’t have any penne last night so made it with mezza rigatoni. . . it was delish!
Such an amazing recipe! I’ve had so many vodka sauces mostly from pizzerias and restaurants and theyve always been reallllly chunky which I don’t like! This recipe solves that problem for me bc I love a smooth creamy sauce. Best penne alla vodka ever!! Thank you!!