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This easy penne alla vodka recipe is a restaurant-quality dish with a silky tomato cream sauce. It only takes 20 minutes to make, so it’s a perfect way to elevate busy weeknights!
Love these classic flavors? You might want to make my One Pan Gnocchi alla Vodka or Easy Pink Sauce Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
Penne alla vodka is one of those recipes that seems super fancy, but in reality it only takes as long to cook the sauce as it does to boil the water for the pasta! It’s quick and easy, and you’ll appreciate how few ingredients you need for it.
The key to making creamy vodka sauce extra amazing is using tomato paste. It’s a total game changer. I’ve tried everything from fresh tomatoes to canned tomatoes, but nothing comes even close to the luxurious, velvety taste when using tomato paste.
Who invented penne alla vodka?
- I’ve read that the origin of it actually isn’t clear. Apparently, it was a popular dish in the early ’80s in Italy, and then it became a hit in America shortly thereafter. The dish’s invention has been attributed to multiple people, including a chef who worked for a vodka company!
What you’ll need
- Penne – this is the classic variety for this dish, but if you can’t find it, another similar sized shape will be fine
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – our flavorful aromatic base. I like sweet Vidalia onions best.
- Vodka – the signature flavor in the sauce. You don’t need to buy a premium one by any means, but I’d avoid the very cheapest too. Any clean and neutral brand will be fine. We like SKYY or Absolut.
- Tomato paste – it gives the best taste and consistency. I like a good-quality tube, not the canned kind. Try Mutti or DeLallo. It’s a vibrant and concentrated tomato flavor.
- Heavy cream – for that irresistible creaminess
Does vodka sauce taste like alcohol?
- Nope! The alcohol is actually cooked off, leaving behind an indescribably delicious and distinctive taste that plays well with the cream and tomato flavors. You’re definitely not going to get tipsy on this pasta dish.
How to make penne alla vodka
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Boil the penne. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in butter and olive oil until softened, then add in the garlic, followed by the vodka. Let it bubble for about 30 seconds or so, and then stir in the tomato paste, then add the cream.
Stir until combined, and then let the vodka sauce warm through and thicken. Toss with the drained cooked penne. Before serving, add some fresh basil if desired, and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This garlic press makes mincing the garlic totally effortless, and I love how this butter dish has markings to measure the butter out.
- I use this skillet to make the sauce.
- If you’re topping this pasta with parmesan, grate it with a Microplane zester.
Pro tip
This recipe makes 4 reasonably sized servings. With that said, I know many people like to eat more than the suggested 2 ounces of dry pasta per person, which is the standard recommended portion size, so if you’ve got hungry bellies to feed and you’re not serving this with anything else, you may want to double the recipe.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the heavy cream out for something like milk or half-and-half. The sauce will not be the same, and the acidity from the tomatoes is likely to separate/curdle it.
- As mentioned earlier in the blog post, I have experimented using fresh and canned tomatoes in penne vodka, but the best results by far are from tomato paste. If you’re really in a pinch, you could use either fresh or crushed canned tomatoes or tomato purée. You’ll need to cook the sauce down for longer, though, and it won’t have that smooth and creamy texture.
- I love penne alla vodka as-is, but you can always add some leftover Roast Chicken or rotisserie chicken to the sauce if you wish. I suggest adding it right near the end and letting it warm through.
- Want to make it spicy? Add in some crushed red pepper flakes.
What to serve with it
- You can’t go wrong topping it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. My mom always put fresh basil in this dish, so I like to as well.
- It’s always a good idea to pair pasta with a side salad. Try some mixed greens with this Easy Italian Dressing, or make this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
- I’ll never say no to a slice of baguette or this Easy Garlic Bread recipe to round it all out!
Leftovers and storage
- This pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Don’t heat it up too quickly, or the sauce may break.
- Leftovers won’t freeze well because of the cream in the sauce, and the pasta won’t hold up either when thawed.
I hope you will love this easy penne vodka recipe! Questions, or did you make it? Let me know in the comments below. Tag me on Instagram if you made it.
The Best Penne alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 small onion chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup tomato paste see note
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh basil, sliced thin optional, to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a generously salted pot of water for the penne and cook it al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes or until softened (ok if it lightly browns).
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the vodka and let the sauce bubble for 30 seconds or so.
- Stir in the tomato paste until you've got a smooth mixture.
- Stir in the cream, and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the sauce warm through. I find this sauce thickens up very quickly (within a couple minutes), but feel free to cook it a little longer to thicken it up even more.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed. Stir in the fresh basil if using. Toss with the drained pasta (if needed, thin the sauce out a bit with a splash of hot pasta water prior to draining it). Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- I don’t recommend subbing the heavy cream for something like milk or half-and-half because the sauce is likely to curdle/get grainy, and it won’t be as thick or delicious.
- Use a good quality tomato paste! For this recipe, I prefer the kind sold in the tubes (like DeLallo and Mutti sell).
- This makes 4 reasonably-sized portions (not huge ones, and I suggest serving this recipe with something like a salad since it’s quite rich by itself). If you’re feeding hungry people who will eat more than 2 oz pasta each and no side dishes, I recommend doubling the recipe.
- I used a 10.25″ Le Creuset skillet to make this recipe (any skillet is fine).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on August 17, 2018. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
Excellent taste and recipe is easy to follow, will become a weeknight staple in my cooking!
That’s great to hear, Alison!! Thank you!
New sub here! —- I found this absolutely delicious and quick to make. I made no substitutes, just wish I had some fresh herbs like basil, as suggested. Thank you, Natasha! I look forward to trying something different on your awesome website!
Aww thank you so much, Melinda!! 😀 I’m thrilled you found me! I appreciate your review, and let me know what else you try. XO
Loved this recipe. We don’t usually have vodka in the house, but have changed that for this recipe! We add a protein to it and it’s dinner! Just plain yummy!
Thank you so much!! I’m glad you decided to give it a go!! 😀
Better than any restaurant! I have shared this recipe with so many friends. Absolutely delicious 🫶🏻. Is the nutritional value info for all 4 servings? I am counting my macros, so just trying to figure that part out. TIA!
Thank you so much, Tiffany! For every recipe on my site, nutritional info is for one serving (the software pulls values from a database and then divides it by the number of servings in the recipe).
I think i did something wrong, I’m hoping you can tell me. I went to a specialty store to find the tomato paste in a tube, but it was double concentrated. I used it the way the recipe said because I didn’t know if that’s just the way it comes in a tube. But the recipe came out very sour and my family didn’t like it. I used Smirnoff vodka, but I don’t think that was the problem. It had a wonderful consistently so I’d like to fix what I did wrong and try again. Is that the flavor of the tomato paste in a tube or was it because it was double concentrated? Or is that the flavor of this recipe? Thanks for any help you can provide!
Hi Suzanne! Hmmm… I think indeed it could perhaps be just the particular brand of tomato paste (and the fact it’s double concentrated). One trick I use it to add a bit of sugar when canned tomatoes (or tomato paste) is too sour, and that usually does the trick. I’d say for this recipe if you want to try the same tomato paste again, to maybe add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, taste, and then add a bit more if needed.
Ok thank you! It was the DeLallo. I think I’ll just try canned tomato paste next time!
My whole family LOVED it. My husband, who is a chef, told me to write this recipe down! I didn’t have tomato paste alone but I had a can of crushed tomatoes that had tomato paste so I added that and doubled the amount that was called for in the recipe!! Will make this again!
That’s great!! So glad everyone liked it!
Loved this! Just made it for my wife because it’s her favorite dish at our Italian place, but she likes angel hair pasta so I did that. It’s excellent! I doubled the recipe. The only things I did differently were to cook 3 strips of chopped bacon with the onions in the beginning, and at the end I added a 1/2 cup of the pasta water. And then probably 2 dozen shrimp. Definitely making this again!
Wonderful!! I’m so glad it was a hit, Brian.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve been making penne vodka forever, and my recipe is much more tedious and quite honestly, not as good tasting as this one came out! I was skeptical at first because of how simple it was, but boy was I wrong! I followed the recipe exactly, but doubled it as I am making a tray for a party. Thank you for sharing and this will now be my go-to recipe!
I’m thrilled that you found a new favorite version, Victoria!! 😀 Thanks so much for your review. Happy new year!
Kiddo wanted a meatless pasta. Doubled the recipe to use the whole box and added 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan. It’s a win!!
Wonderful!! Thanks, Aaron!
Made this for Christmas Eve and received nothing but accolades for it. My nephew couldn’t stop eating it! Easy to make, even when doubling recipe.
Wonderful!! I’m thrilled to hear that, Pam!! Merry Christmas!