Penne alla Vodka

Recipe video above. I think this was THE viral pasta about 5 years ago - but I totally missed the trend (not cool enough 😅). While the young probably love that it's got vodka in it, I love it because you get to use a whole packet of pasta and a whole tub of tomato paste - no measuring, no waste!Jokes aside, vodka adds depth and almost floral-like notes into the sauce without tasting boozy, and though not a standard step, cooking off the paste really lifts the flavour and cuts the sourness. Makes regular taste just as good as the pricier double-concentrate paste!

👥 4 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 20 min⏳ Prep: 5 min🔥 Cook: 15 min👤 Nagi📖 recipetineats

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🥘 Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you prepare them:

🍳 Cookware

●pot
●pan
●stove
●bowl

📝 Preparation Steps

ABBREVIATED:

Sauté garlic and onion, cook off tomato paste, simmer with cream, vodka, chilli flakes, S&P ⏱️ 3 min, stir in parmesan at end. Toss with pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water, eat!

small onion (, finely diced (smaller dice than usual is better))1/2cup (140g / 4.5 oz) tomato paste (UK: tomato puree)1/2cups heavy / thickened cream (UK: double cream - Note 2)1 1/4cup vodka (, or chicken stock/broth for alcohol free (Note 3))1/3/ 1 loosely packed cup freshly grated parmesan (, plus more for serving (Note 4))50gcup+ pasta cooking water (Note 5)1/2

FULL RECIPE:

Cook pasta - Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the pasta salt. Cook pasta per the packet directions until al dente. (Meanwhile cook the sauce)

⭐️ Reserve pasta water - Just before draining, give the pasta a big stir to agitate the starch then scoop out a cup of the water. Then drain the pasta.

cup (140g / 4.5 oz) tomato paste (UK: tomato puree)1/2cups heavy / thickened cream (UK: double cream - Note 2)1 1/4cup vodka (, or chicken stock/broth for alcohol free (Note 3))1/3/ 1 loosely packed cup freshly grated parmesan (, plus more for serving (Note 4))50gcup+ pasta cooking water (Note 5)1/2

Vodka sauce:

Sauté - Heat the oil in a large pot or non-stick pan over medium high heat. Cook the onion and garlic for 1 1/⏱️ 2 minutes until translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for ⏱️ 2 minutes until it darkens in colour (lower heat if catching on base).

small onion (, finely diced (smaller dice than usual is better))1/2

Make sauce - Add the cream, stir well to dissolve the tomato paste. Then add the chilli flakes, salt, pepper and vodka. Simmer on low for ⏱️ 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in the parmesan until melted, then turn off the heat until the pasta is ready.

Toss! Add the pasta and 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Over medium heat on the stove, stir for 1 - 1 1/⏱️ 2 minutes until all the pasta is nicely coated with the rust coloured sauce, using extra pasta cooking water to loosen if needed.

Serve immediately in warmed pasta bowls* with a dusting of extra parmesan and pinch of parsley. Add a side of garlic bread and big Italian Salad, then finish with Tiramisu for a classic trattoria meal at home!

parsley (, finely chopped, for serving (optional))2 tsp

Nutrition Facts

calories

693 kcal

fat Content

30 g

serving Size

1 serving

fiber Content

3 g

sugar Content

5 g

sodium Content

1465 mg

protein Content

19 g

cholesterol Content

74 mg

carbohydrate Content

78 g

saturated Fat Content

16 g

unsaturated Fat Content

11 g

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