This classic penne alla vodka recipe has a perfect blend of creamy marinara sauce and just the right amount of vodka. It's easy to add chicken and makes a great freezer food!
Puree the tomatoes in a blender, food mill, or an immersion blender and set aside. You can decide how chunky or uniform you’d like the tomatoes to be.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic and the basil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and softened.
Turn off the heat.
Add the vodka to the pan and let it sizzle. Turn the heat back to medium and reduce the vodka until there is about a Tablespoon left.
Add the pureed tomatoes and let it simmer for 45 minutes or so, allowing it to reduce and becomes quite thick, not exactly paste-like, but almost. We're going to thin it out with the cream.
During the last 12 minutes or so, cook the penne according to package instructions. For saucier pasta, use ¾ lb. instead of the full pound. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.
Add the heavy cream and the red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Add 2 Tablespoons cold butter to the sauce, along with 1/4 cup pasta water. Stir to combine.
Season with salt/pepper if desired.
Add in the drained pasta.
Garnish with roughly chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve!
Notes
PRO TIP: For increased depth of flavor, add 1/3 pound Pancetta or Prosciutto. Cook that in the pan first with just a drop of olive oil. Heat until it is just about crisp, then add the garlic and proceed as outlined from there.Meal Prep Tip: Double this recipe and freeze the sauce for easy weeknight dinners!Note: Don't be tempted to add more vodka than the recipe calls for, doing so will ruin the flavors instead of enhancing them. (Very important.)