Italian

Serving

Italian Quick & easy

Penne alla Vodka

Name: Penne alla Vodka
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400g (14 oz) penne pasta; 2 tbsp tomato paste and 400g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes; 120ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream; 60ml (1/4 cup) vodka; 1 small onion and 3 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp butter, chilli flakes, and grated Parmesan cheese

Penne in a creamy tomato-vodka sauce — rich, blush-pink, and a perennial favourite.

30 minutes

Serves 4

Dinner/Lunch

14 min prep

23 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy Wheat

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Good to know

Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
Soften the Aromatics: Melt the butter and cook the finely diced onion until soft, then add the garlic and a pinch of chilli flakes.
2
Cook the Tomato Paste: Stir in the tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes until it darkens and caramelises slightly.
3
Add Vodka: Pour in the vodka and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol.
4
Build the Sauce: Add the crushed tomatoes, season, and simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the cream to make it blush-pink.
5
Cook the Pasta: Boil the penne until al dente, reserving a little pasta water, then toss it through the sauce with a splash of water.
6
Finish: Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and serve with extra cheese on top.

Penne alla Vodka — plated and served — Serving moment. How Penne alla Vodka looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

62/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 27

Weeknight-easy 86

Budget-friendly 64

Great leftovers 50

Pantry-friendly 47

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

545

Calories

14 g

Protein

78 g

Carbs

18 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Penne alla vodka emerged in Italy in the 1970s and 1980s, likely as a marketing creation designed to promote vodka in a country that traditionally drank wine and grappa. It gained its largest audience not in Italy but in the United States, where Italian-American restaurants adopted it and it became a staple of red-sauce dining. The sauce itself — a cream-enriched spicy tomato with vodka — became beloved for its silky, rich-but-bright character that sits somewhere between a marinara and an Alfredo.

Listahan note

This version uses crushed San Marzano tomatoes and finishes with just enough heavy cream to make the sauce blush-pink and velvety — the vodka is functional, not decorative.

Technique cues

Add the vodka after sauteing the shallots and garlic and let it reduce by half before adding the tomatoes — this cooks off the harshest alcohol bite while leaving behind the compounds that help carry fat-soluble tomato flavor.
The cream should go in off the heat or over the lowest possible flame after the tomato has fully cooked; high heat after adding cream can cause the sauce to break and look greasy.
Finish the pasta in the sauce with a splash of pasta water — the starch helps knit the cream and tomato into one smooth coating rather than two separate layers.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Start the pasta water and bring it to a boil while making the sauce; the sauce cooks in about 20 minutes, timed well with pasta cooking.
Make-ahead: The tomato-vodka base (before cream) keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days. Add cream when reheating and combine with freshly cooked pasta.
Leftover move: Reheat leftover penne alla vodka gently in a pan with a splash of water or cream to loosen; it thickens significantly when chilled and needs liquid to come back to serving consistency.
Cleanup rhythm: This is a one-pan sauce; deglaze with a splash of water immediately after plating while the pan is warm and the cream residue releases easily.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

penne rigate

primary pasta

Purpose: The ridged tubes trap the blush cream-tomato sauce inside and out for consistent flavor in every bite.

Handling: Cook until 2 minutes shy of the package al dente time; it will finish cooking in the sauce.

Adaptation: Rigatoni, mezzi rigatoni, or any short ridged pasta works equally well.

canned San Marzano tomatoes

sauce base

Purpose: Their natural sweetness and low acidity balance the heat and cream without the sauce needing much added sugar.

Handling: Crush by hand or blend partially with an immersion blender for a smooth sauce that still has some texture.

Adaptation: Good-quality crushed domestic tomatoes work; add a pinch of sugar if they taste sharp.

vodka

flavor carrier and acid balance

Purpose: Alcohol dissolves flavor compounds in tomatoes that are not water-soluble, making the finished sauce taste more complex.

Handling: Use a plain, mid-range vodka — the nuances of premium vodka are lost in cooking.

Adaptation: A small amount of white wine reduces similarly though it changes the flavor profile slightly.

heavy cream

richness and color

Purpose: The cream turns the tomato sauce from red to blush-pink and adds the velvety texture that defines the dish.

Handling: Add slowly, stirring constantly, after the tomato has fully cooked and the pan is off direct high heat.

Adaptation: Full-fat coconut cream creates a dairy-free version with a slightly different but pleasant flavor.

shallots

aromatic base

Purpose: Shallots are milder and sweeter than onions and dissolve into the sauce rather than staying in visible pieces.

Handling: Finely mince and cook in olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, about 4 minutes.

Adaptation: One small yellow onion, finely diced, is a practical substitute.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

finishing richness and umami

Purpose: Stirred in at the end, it deepens the savory note and helps bind the sauce to the pasta.

Handling: Finely grate and add off the heat, stirring vigorously to incorporate.

Adaptation: Pecorino Romano adds a sharper, saltier note; Grana Padano is more economical.

Technique notes

The sauce should be the color of a sunset — orange-pink, not orange-red. If it is still red after adding the cream, there is not enough cream or the tomato has not fully incorporated.
Resist the urge to add more vodka than the recipe calls for; too much alcohol makes the sauce thin and can taste harsh even after cooking.
Red chile flakes in the shallot step (a common variation) add heat that is traditional in some versions and creates a nice counterpoint to the richness of the cream.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Use full-fat coconut cream in equal measure; the coconut flavor is subtle in this sauce and mostly masked by the tomato and vodka.
Alcohol-free direction: Replace the vodka with an equal volume of chicken or vegetable broth plus a teaspoon of white wine vinegar; the dish loses a small amount of depth but is still excellent.
Gluten-free direction: Use a gluten-free penne and finish in the sauce with extra pasta water as GF pasta tends to absorb more liquid.

Serve alongside

Caesar salad with house-made croutons
Garlic bread with fresh herbs
Roasted asparagus with Parmigiano
Pinot Grigio or a light Soave (the crispness cuts the cream)
Sparkling water with lemon
Aperol Spritz as an aperitivo

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Store refrigerated for up to 3 days; the sauce absorbs into the pasta as it sits but the flavor improves.
Not ideal for freezing as cream-based pasta sauces tend to separate on thawing.

Equipment

Wide saute pan with high sides to accommodate the pasta tossing step
Immersion blender for partially smoothing the tomato sauce without transferring to a blender
Fine grater or Microplane for Parmigiano-Reggiano

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