Penne with Vodka Sauce

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Light Pasta Classics

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (209)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(209)

Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 5 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 25 min
Total:: 30 min

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Ingredients

1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound penne

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

4 to 6 basil leaves

2 dried bay leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.

Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Penne with Vodka Sauce
Virginia Merrick, NY 11-02-2009
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Used the comments and modified it like crazy w/great result!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Per the other reviews, I used 1/3 C of vodka. I doubled the tomato component, using approx 1-1/2 cups of The Barefoot... Contessa's Basic Marinara, which I first pureed in a blender. I sauteed the onions in only 2T of butter and only used 3/4 C of heavy cream; made the sauce slightly healthier! I used red pepper flakes instead of tobasco. Could have used 8 oz prosciutto instead of 4 oz as I used more tomato sauce. All of these solved the problem of the sauce being too watery. Family loved it!Read more
recipe Penne with Vodka Sauce
E arlington, VA 11-01-2009
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Easy to make and fun to 'update'
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I've been using this recipe for a few years and always get compliments. I always saute some prosciutto and onion in a little... butter and add to the sauce while it's simmering. If I am in a rush, I use Rao's brand marinara...but it's always best when I have time to make the homemade version. I use San Marzano brand crushed tomatoes when making the sauce. I do often simmer the sauce for a little longer in order to lessen the vodka flavor and make sure the alcohol is all cooked off. Read more
recipe Penne with Vodka Sauce
Beth Sylvania, OH 10-06-2009
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The vodka has to be a misprint
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

A whole cup? My usual recipe calls for 1/4 cup vodka for a 35 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, roughly the same amount of... heavy cream and Parmesan, and that is plenty of vodka. Read more
recipe Penne with Vodka Sauce
Lauren Berlin, NJ 09-21-2009
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Without Vodka,its Great!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I made this without the vodka and it was easy and great. I will make this again for sure!
recipe Penne with Vodka Sauce
Amy Bartlett, IL 08-26-2009
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Drunk as a skunk?
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

Can you say Holy vodka? I doubled the cream, the cheese, the marinara, and it still reaked of vodka. I would probably start... off with 1/4 cup, and add as you cook. It smelled like the alcohol wouldn't cook out of the sauce, and I cooked the sauce for at least an hour. Her marinara is out of this world, and I think this vodka sauce would be too. JUST REDUCE THE VODKA! I had to throw out all of the leftovers, what a waste!Read more
recipe Penne with Vodka Sauce
Michele Alhambra, CA 08-25-2009
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Marinara with strong vodka flavor
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I was excited to make this recipe. However, 1 cup of vodka was too much. I started making the basic marinara sauce and... mixed in the vodka and simmered for 1 hour, hoping the vodka would reduce and sauce would thicken. Somehow after pouring the sauce onto my pasta, I got a watery consistency at the bottom of my bowl. Would not try this recipe again.Read more