Vodka Sauce Pasta
Penne Alla Vodka may be the last thing you’d expect to see from a southern fella. But this dish is one of me and my fiancée’s all-time favorites to make AND EAT when we want a nice change of pace from standard Italian fare. If you’re not a fan of using alcohol, no worries! You can certainly deglaze your pan with a bit of chicken or vegetable stock as a replacement for the vodka. Enjoy!
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2-4 people
Ingredients:
3 Strips of Bacon, Diced (optional)
2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (can sub 2 Tbsp, minced or jarred garlic)
2 Calabrian Chilis, finely diced (can sub ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)
4 oz. tomato paste
2 oz. vodka
¾ cup heavy cream
3 oz. or 1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt, to taste
4 Servings Dev’s Homemade Pasta Recipe (or 1 lb. your favorite pasta)
1 Tbsp. of butter (per serving)
Handful of Italian or flat-leaf parsley, chopped for garnish
Directions:
To a cold, medium-sized saucepan, add the diced bacon. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the bacon until the cubes are crisp and the fat has been rendered. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces onto a paper towel-lined plate and save for future use.
If your bacon gives you a substantial amount of fat (about 2 Tbsp.) feel free to keep it in the pan and use it for the next step. If your pan is a little dry, add just enough oil to coat the bottom and proceed.
Next, reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion and a 3-finger pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent and softened. A little browning around the edges is okay but if you notice things are cooking too quickly, feel free to reduce the heat. Add in the garlic and chili peppers and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Just until the garlic is fragrant and begins to soften. Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring continuously until the paste thickens slightly and begins to become darker in color – about 4-6 minutes.
Shut off the heat and deglaze the pan with vodka, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen up any fondé or stuck in bits. Do this for about 1 minute, or until the smell of alcohol subsides. Feel free to turn the heat back on for a few moments to get to this stage.
Once the vodka has evaporated, shut off the heat and add this mixture, the heavy cream, and the parmesan to a blender and pulse until the sauce is bright orange and homogenous, about 8-12 pulses. (You technically can’t “over blend” it, but my preference is for the sauce to still have a bit of texture. The consistency of the sauce is ultimately up to you!) Once the sauce is blended, add kosher salt to taste. This sauce can then be emptied into a storage container and refrigerated if you are only making 1-2 servings, or held at room temperature if you are making a full portion of the final dish immediately.
To make the pasta: simultaneously boil your preferred pasta in salted water until al dente (see package directions) while heating a clean medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Time this out to where your pasta has about 1-2 minutes of cooking time left when the sauce hits the hot pan. If you don’t nail it, no worries! Just do your best. Ladle a few spoonfuls of sauce into the hot pan and let it begin to simmer, swirling occasionally to prevent burning. Immediately add the cooked pasta into the pan and toss to coat the noodles in the sauce. Once the noodles are coated, add in a tablespoon of butter and continue to cook, tossing and stirring continuously until the pasta and sauce begin to marry. Don’t be afraid to add a little pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce back up and control the consistency.
Once thoroughly combined, serve immediately and garnish with a bit more parmesan and fresh parsley.
Tips:
Be sure to save some of the water that your pasta has been cooked in! This allows you to control the consistency of the sauce as it cooks, without having to add more heavy cream or tomato paste