The only tomato product you’ll need for this classic dish is a can of tomato paste, resulting in a creamy, tangy sauce that’s easy enough for a family meal and impressive enough for a special occasion—plus no annoying tomato paste leftovers. While you’ll typically see vodka sauce served with penne, we find it positively magical on any tubular pasta (it coats the inside and outside of the noodle), resulting in the perfect sauce-to-pasta ratio in each bite.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces short tubular pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, ziti or cavatappi
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small shallots, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- One 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Thinly sliced fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat; season the water generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the pasta shape). Reserve 1 cup of cooking water in a liquid measuring cup, then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic has softened, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste has turned a deep brick red and is starting to caramelize on the bottom and sides of the pot, about 6 minutes. Pour in the vodka and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, then cook until the vodka is almost completely absorbed and the alcohol has cooked off, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, then stir in the heavy cream and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water until smooth and combined.
- Add the cooked pasta, Parmesan and butter to the sauce and stir to evenly combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt. Adjust the consistency of the sauce, adding 1 tablespoon of cooking water at a time, until it nicely coats the pasta (it should be creamy, glossy and saucy). Serve in shallow bowls with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan and thinly sliced fresh basil.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 673 |
| Total Fat | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 78 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 70 mg |
| Sodium | 531 mg |
Reviews
Oh my goodness this was so very good! My husband loved it! The only different was I added some Italian seasoning to the tomato paste. Once you get everything ready it is so simple to put together. We also added some hot Italian sausage and it was great. Thanks so much for this recipe.
My wife and I both liked this dish, I did make a pound of penne instead of 12 oz, and added a pound of cooked spicy Italian sausage to the sauce before mixing it with the pasta. When I make it again I’m going to add some mushrooms I think. We thought the sauce to pasta ratio was great.
Rachel Rae’s Recipe for “You won’t be Single Long” Pasta Is such a better recipe than this. 1/4 cup of vodka isn’t going to impart any flavor against that much tomato paste… Sorry but it’s true
This recipe was delicious and easy, but it didn’t make nearly enough sauce. I would triple it at least.
This is a very simple, and tasty recipe, easily put together in a short amount of time. I add roasted and quartered baby portobello mushrooms and spicy ground Italian sausage to make the dish a bit more hearty.
For a quick, easy pasta dinner, this was pretty good. Not amazing but definitely tasty.
I use Fusilli noodles and this is fantastic. So delicious. I make it for myself then leave the leftovers to eat for later. Simple but the taste is intricate. I think 12 ounces of noodles is right for the fusilli but definitely add the pasta slowly to make sure it’s the right ratio. So tasty!
I didn’t get much sauce out of this and it was much spicier than I expected. We served
3 people a bowl of pasta.
3 people a bowl of pasta.
I thought this recipe was easy and delicious. However I’d use the entire pound of pasta as the 3/4 lb rigatoni was much more sauced than in the picture.