Here is a great recipe for Penne with Pink Vodka Sauce or otherwise known as Penne alla Vodka. The sauce is a bright pink-orange or salmon color because it is tomato based with added heavy cream. The exact origin of this dish is unclear but is a new classic , originating in the 1980’s when I was a teenager(!), so Pink Vodka Sauce is a “new” dish not a classic Italian dish from days gone by.
We love onions so this recipe starts by chopping a large sweet onion and sauteing it in olive oil until soft. Then add the tomatoes and one cup of vodka and simmer for 20 minutes. Then slowly add 1 cup of cream and simmer 5 minutes more. When this velvety smooth, bright pink sauce sticks the ridges on the penne it makes my mouth water. The creamy tomato taste and the substantial pasta tooth feel of the penne makes this recipe one of my favorites.
So you may be wondering…. Do I need to use vodka in this recipe? Can I skip it? There are three good reasons to use vodka in this sauce.
First, some alcohol is needed in the sauce to stabilize it. I was very surprised to learn how much alcohol is left after cooking. According to a USDA study, for the 20-30 minutes cooking time to make this sauce about 35- 40% of the starting alcohol remains (see figure below). So since we started with 1 cup of vodka which was 40% alcohol by volume and after cooking 40% of that is left then 0.16 cups is left or about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons. Wow! Not enough to get to get you drunk or be of a health concern for kids, but enough to keep the cream from separating in the presence of the tomato. This is how the stabilization works. The heavy cream is an emulsion of fat in water. If we add an acid like tomatoes the cream will separate and get lumpy. The alcohol from the vodka dissolves in both the cream and the water from the tomato keeping the sauce smoooooooth.
Reference: Data points from USDA Release 6
Second, you can take a shot of vodka while you are cooking. This might be why great chefs always say use the wine you drink in what you cook or there is no such thing as a lower grade “cooking wine” because it is fun to sneak a taste while cooking. Cheers!
Third, alcohol is a great solvent and extracts different flavors from the tomato not accessible otherwise which helps make this sauce different than other tomato based sauces.
As with any recipe, there are always ways to change up a recipe to make it your own. Here are some variations we have already tried:
Variations and Tips
- Add 1-2 TBSP of Marscarpone Cheese to make the sauce even creamier. And creamier=yummier!
- Add some chopped Grilled Chicken (Our favorite!)
- Add Brussel Sprouts to add some color. Here is how to cook them.
- Add Brussels, add grilled chicken and change the shape of the pasta!
Ingredients
16 oz. box penne pasta
28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup vodka
1 cup heavy cream
1 large sweet onion
olive oil
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Chop the onion and saute in a large, deep skillet with olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Saute onion until translucent but not browned about 2-3 minutes
- Add crushed tomatoes and vodka
- Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally
- Start pot of water boiling for penne
- Slowly add heavy cream to skillet of onions, tomato and vodka
- Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes
- Cook penne to desired doneness
- Drain penne, put in a large serving bowl or pot
- Add sauce to penne and stir to combine
- Top with grated Parmesan cheese
- Serve and enjoy!