Pasta alla Vodka

5 from 20 votes

Linguini pasta tossed in a velvety vodka-tomato-cream sauce. Elegance and rustic comfort all in one dish, that's all ready to eat in under 30 minutes. Perfect quick weeknight dinner.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta alla vodka, spaghetti alla vodka

Servings:

Calories: 776.6kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot or other large pot to cook the pasta
Colander
Chef's knife
Large skillet

Ingredients

1 pound linguini pasta or other favorite pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion finely diced (about 1 ½ cups)
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup vodka
28 ounce can of San Marzano whole tomatoes or 2 (15-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup Half & Half or heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried oregano or dry your own
1 ¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
handful of fresh basil leaves slivered

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and cook pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta.
Before straining the pasta, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, melt the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
While the onion sautés, chop the canned tomatoes. I like to chop them myself rather than purchasing diced tomatoes or tomato puree so I can add texture to the sauce. But either of these choices can be substituted.
Pour in the vodka and stir in the tomatoes. Lightly simmer for five minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the half-and-half (or cream), oregano, salt, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the reserved pasta water and simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture cooks into a creamy vodka sauce consistency. You may not need all of the reserved pasta water.
Fold the drained pasta into the sauce, gently tossing it with a large metal spoon.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese and slip the pasta into large serving bowl. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and basil.

Nutrition