Vodka Cream Sauce
Perhaps the most famous piece of the classic penne alla vodka recipe is not the pasta, or the tomatoes, but the touch of vodka in a vibrant cream sauce.
This recipe can be subbed with any clear liquor, with vodka being the most famous. If there is ever a lack of vodka on hand, sub in dry vermouth and you will likely not notice a difference.
The reason any clear alcohol will do is that the alcohol isn’t designed to add flavor itself. The perfect wingman, it is actually going to bring out flavors in the other ingredients. So yes, the alcohol will burn off in a glorious burst of fire and leave a parting gift of a heightened taste when compared to a simple, less pyrotechnic tomato sauce.
As mentioned, the alcohol does burn off, so it should be done away from any gas flame or source of heat.
What you’ll need
Makes roughly 24 ounces
Olive oil
1 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
1/4 lb pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 small white onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup of a clear liquor such as vodka or vermouth
1/4-1/3 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon Tomato Sauce Spice
Optional: 1 bushel of basil
Optional for serving: Chopped parsley or basil, grated cheese
A clear, dry vermouth works as a perfect substitute
Lets Do This
Remove the San Marzano tomatoes and blend or crush by hand
Heat a pan over medium-high heat, adding olive oil
Drop pancetta into the pan, cooking until browned. Remove and set aside
Cook onion in the pan, 5 minutes, or until cooked through
Lower heat to medium and add garlic, cooking until fragrant, roughly 1 minute
Away from any open flame, add the liquor and using a torch, light the steam. Step back and allow the liquor to burn off. If you are hesitant to use the flame, you can add the liquor off the heat at step 8. Just taste test before serving, to ensure the sauce has time to burn off the liquor.
Immediately add tomatoes and seasonings and bring to a boil, add basil if using
Lower to a simmer, and cook partially covered for 30 minutes to an hour
Turn off heat, discard basil, and drizzle in 1/4 c of cream while stirring. Your sauce should now have a pink hue. Taste and add more as needed
Serving
As with most other tomato based sauces, cook pasta in a pot of salted water about 1-2 minutes less than the cooking instructions read. We want to cook the pasta about 80% of the way, and finish cooking in the pan with our sauce. This will allow the pasta to absorb some sauce, and develop a nice smooth coating.
Cook pasta in a pot of salted water as mentioned, 1-2 minutes shy of instructions
As pasta cooks, add some of the vodka sauce to a pan and heat gently
When pasta is ready, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and add pasta directly to the pan. Add in some pasta water and increase the heat to high
Continue stirring the pasta and the sauce until it thickens. If the sauce is clumpy or too thick, add a little more of the pasta water. After 1-2 minutes the pasta should be coated in a thick silky sauce
Remove from heat and serve immediately. Top with parsley or basil if desired. You can also serve with grated cheese, though the cream of the sauce may provide enough richness
Want to give it a try? Get the spices!
“Looking to put this recipe to work? Check out our baked rigatoni, using this sauce”
