Easy Spicy Vodka Pasta (Penne alla Vodka)
This simple, creamy and silky pasta is the best lazy dinner idea; a classic and delicious spicy vodka sauce pasta that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 835kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package penne, rigatoni or other pasta of choice (410g)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, very finely diced (see Note 1)
- 1 ½ tsp chili flakes (see Note 2)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ⅓ cup vodka
- 1 cup cream (see Note 3)
- ½ tsp salt, or more to taste
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup reserved pasta water (see Note 4)
For Serving
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt
- Cook the pasta until it's very al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce so you want it to be underdone), reserve ½ cup of pasta water then drain
- Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until it stops foaming, then add the olive oil
- Add the shallot and season with salt so it doesn't burn, then sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened
- Add the chili flakes and garlic and sauté for an additional minute or until the oil starts to darken from the chili flakes and the garlic is fragrant
- Add the vodka and scrape to deglaze the pan, then cook for 30 seconds or until it has mostly reduced
- Reduce the heat to low; pour in the cream then add the salt and Parmesan cheese
- Stir and simmer over low heat until the sauce starts to thicken
- Add the pasta and mix, then add pasta water 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce is silky and creamy and sticks to the pasta (see Note 4)
- Stir in the remaining tbsp of butter (if you find your sauce is already creamy enough, you can skip it)
- Taste and season with additional salt if required (the pasta water is salty so don't add more salt until after you've added the pasta water)
- Serve topped with extra Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and freshly cracked black pepper, if desired
Notes
1. If you don't have shallots on hand, you can use ¼ cup of finely diced onion as a great substitute.
2. Use more or less chili flakes to taste or even omit them completely if you don't like spice. You could also use Calabrian chili for this recipe.
3. I almost always use half and half (10%) cream for this recipe as I find it makes the perfect silky sauce without being too rich, but you can use heavy cream as well. If you use heavy cream, you may not need the second tbsp of butter.
4. You may not need all of the reserved pasta water. I usually use around ¼ cup. However, the sauce will thicken if allowed to cool too much. If this happens, add a little more pasta water and stir. The sauce will become silky smooth again.
Nutrition Facts are calculated automatically and may be inaccurate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 835kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 641mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1617IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 238mg | Iron: 2mg