Penne alla Vodka has that perfect balance of creaminess and tartness from the tomatoes, and the vodka emulsifies the sauce so it sticks to the pasta.
While this dish is called Penne alla Vodka, I made two seemingly drastic but actually not that significant changes.
First, I used rigatoni in mine instead of Penne, because I prefer the thicker shape, I felt like I got a bit more sauce in there, but you can use whichever short pasta you like, (fusili, conchiglie), just make it one that holds sauce well.
Secondly, I used a mixture of lemon juice and water instead of vodka. I’ve made it with vodka before, and it worked perfectly, but, we don’t have vodka in our house in the UK, and since we’re moving back to Australia soon, there is no point buying a bottle that will likely only be used in this pasta. So, I used the lemon and water substitute and it worked just as well as the vodka version, in my opinion.
Oh, and a third departure (and I’ll allow myself a third, even though I only said there were two, because, well, I can), is that I quickly boiled some broccolini to add some greens to this dish, and topped it with dry roast pine nuts. I added the greens so we had a more complete meal, and to balance the richness of the cream, and the pine nuts to give a little extra texture. I think it really works.
The thing I love about this dish is the unique flavour that comes from slowly sauteeing the onions, combined with intense tomato paste and the cream. It creates this really lovely flavour that is hard to describe but is quite different to what you expect, and the sauce takes on this incredible deep orange. It’s a joy to suck up the sauce through the rigatoni and crunch down on some broccolini.
So pick up fork, and dive in. Enjoy.
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Penne alla Vodka Ingredients
- Thickened pouring cream
- Pine nuts
- Brown onion
- Garlic
- Broccolini
- Olive oil
- Rigatoni
- Tomato paste
- Chilli flakes (opt.)
- Vodka (sub mixture of water and lemon juice)
- Parmesan cheese (block)
- Salt and pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Penne alla Vodka
1. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Take your cream out of the fridge to bring to room temperature.
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 200ml thickened pouring cream
2. Gently dry toast pine nuts, then set aside when done.
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
3. Peel and finely dice onion. If you have a v-slicer or mandolin, this is the time to use it. Mince garlic. Trim broccolini.
- 1 medium brown onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch broccolini
4. Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan or casserole dish over low-medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir regularly for 5-7 minutes. If the onion looks like it is starting to colour, reduce the heat.
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion
- 4 cloves garlic
5. Once water is boiling in the pot, add the pasta and set a timer for 2 minutes less than the amount stated on the packet. Stir every so often to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- 500g rigatoni
6. Add tomato paste and salt and pepper (opt.) to the onions and garlic, stirring regularly for another 5-7 minutes. You want the tomato paste to darken. Hold chilli flakes to the end.
- 140g tomato paste
- Salt and pepper (opt.)
7. Add vodka (or a mixture of water and lemon juice) and stir to incorporate, deglazing the pan as you do it. Turn off the heat until you’re ready to add the pasta.
- 60ml vodka (or 40ml water and 20ml of lemon juice)
8. When the pasta timer goes, scoop out a mugful of pasta water. Add your broccolini to the pasta and cook for 2 minutes more, then use tongs to remove from the boiling water before draining the pasta. Meanwhile, finely grate parmesan cheese.
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 100g parmesan (block)
9. Turn on the heat under the sauce to low. Mix cream through the tomato sauce a little at a time, along with some pasta water.
- 200ml thickened pouring cream
10. Drain pasta and add back into the sauce. Add half the parmesan and some more pasta water until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Season to taste.
Serve kids pasta topped with the remaining parmesan and broccolini on the side.
Serve adults pasta topped with parmesan, chilli flakes, broccolini and pine nuts on the side.
- 100g grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 1.5 teaspoon chilli flakes (opt.)
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
Substitutions
- Alternative proteins - You can fry up some bacon if you want to go all out with this delicious dinner.
- Vegetarian - This dinner is vegetarian.
- Gluten Free - Use gluten free pasta.
- Dairy Free - Use dairy free cooking cream instead of cream, and shredded dairy free parmesan cheese.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Skip the chilli flakes with little ones.
- Most of the alcohol in the vodka will cook off, but you can use lemon juice and water instead.
- Serve up pasta with sliced broccolini.
Equipment
You will need a pot, a stovetop, a deep frying pan or casserole dish, a v-slicer or mandolin (opt.).
Top tip
It’s important to not rush the onions - cook them gently and slowly, so they are nice and soft, and they will imbue your sauce with a lovely rich flavour. If they look like they might burn, lower the heat.
Recipe
Penne alla Vodka
Equipment
- Pot
- Stovetop
- Deep frying pan or casserole dish
- V-slicer or mandolin (opt.)
Ingredients
- 200 ml thickened pouring cream
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 brown onion medium
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g rigatoni
- 140 g tomato paste
- 1.5 teaspoon chilli flakes opt.
- 60 ml vodka sub 40ml water and 20ml lemon juice
- 100 g parmesan block
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt over high heat. Take your cream out of the fridge to bring to room temperature.200 ml thickened pouring cream
- Gently dry toast pine nuts, then set aside when done.2 tablespoon pine nuts
- Peel and finely dice onion. If you have a v-slicer or mandolin, this is the time to use it. Mince garlic. Trim broccolini.1 brown onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 bunch broccolini
- Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan or casserole dish over low-medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir regularly for 5-7 minutes. If the onion looks like it is starting to colour, reduce the heat.1 brown onion, 1.5 tablespoon olive oil, 4 cloves garlic
- Once water is boiling in the pot, add the pasta and set a timer for 2 minutes less than the amount stated on the packet. Stir every so often to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.500 g rigatoni
- Add tomato paste and salt and pepper (opt.) to the onions and garlic, stirring regularly for another 5-7 minutes. You want the tomato paste to darken. Hold chilli flakes to the end.140 g tomato paste, Salt and pepper
- Add vodka (or a mixture of 40ml water and 20ml lemon juice) and stir to incorporate, deglazing the pan as you do it. Turn off the heat until you’re ready to add the pasta.60 ml vodka
- When the pasta timer goes, scoop out a mugful of pasta water. Add your broccolini to the pasta and cook for 2 minutes more, then use tongs to remove from the boiling water before draining the pasta. Meanwhile, finely grate parmesan cheese.1 bunch broccolini, 100 g parmesan
- Turn on the heat under the sauce to low. Mix cream through the tomato sauce a little at a time, along with some pasta water.200 ml thickened pouring cream
- Drain pasta and add back into the sauce. Add half the parmesan and some more pasta water until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Season to taste.Serve kids pasta topped with the remaining parmesan and broccolini on the side.Serve adults pasta topped with parmesan, chilli flakes, broccolini and pine nuts on the side.1 bunch broccolini, 1.5 teaspoon chilli flakes, 100 g parmesan, Salt and pepper, 2 tablespoon pine nuts
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