Penne alla vodka is a perfect combination of tomato sauce, rich cream, and vodka, which just enhances all of the flavors beautifully. Most of the alcohol cooks out, so you’re fine to serve this to your family. They’ll thank you for it!
One of the perks of being a teacher is the breaks. Everyone knows it, and I’m not going to lie. I mean, I love my job and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t do it, breaks or not…but it definitely sweetens the deal. I had a very minor knee surgery on the first day of Christmas break last year that laid me up for a couple of weeks….while I was definitely physically fine, I was still exhausted so I would take a 2-3 hour excursion out of the house then lay on the couch in my robe or my yoga pants for the rest of the day. While I felt like a lump, I have to admit that it was actually rather glorious because no one thought I was a complete lazy bum for not wanting to do anything.
The thing is, though, that while I didn’t get a lot accomplished around the house….didn’t go too many places….didn’t do the light walking I had planned to try to stay at least somewhat in my workout routine….I got a lot done on my blog. I did several posts and made the determination that it was time to upgrade my camera and step up my photography. And I created a restaurant and recipe index, which was quite an accomplishment since I have close to 300 posts on my blog. It took me a couple of days of doing pretty much nothing but going through posts, retagging them with a set of “common” tags, creating categories, and listing them all on one page, complete with links. I’m pretty proud of my index.
As I created the index, there were a few posts that I decided weren’t really “me”, so I deleted them. I don’t regret that at all, but what I do regret is that apparently I deleted at least one post that I did want. I discovered this when one of my assistants asked me for a suggestion of something that she should cook. I told her that she should definitely make vodka sauce and that I’d send her the link….then I couldn’t find the link. Wait, where’s my blog post? Am I crazy? Did I not write a post about vodka sauce? Then I found evidence of it, though….photos on my external hard drive and comments on my Facebook page. I deleted the post. And by the time I figured it out, I’d either emptied the trash on my blog or it had auto-emptied. Great.
My blog still exists over at wordpress.com. You can read my original penne alla vodka post here: http://chattavore.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/penne-alla-vodka-perfection/. But I figured I might as well put my new recipe plug-in and my new camera to good use and just tell you guys about my vodka sauce debacle.
Anyway, you should totally make penne alla vodka. This penne alla vodka is by far my favorite tomato-based pasta dish!
Yield: 4 servings
Penne alla Vodka10 minPrep Time:
30 minCook Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 12oz penne (I used whole wheat)
- 28oz can whole tomatoes (I like San Marzanos or Tutturosso)
- 1/2 Small onion (diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced-I use my garlic press)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt (to taste)
- 6-8 basil leaves (chiffonade)
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet (I used a 12-inch) over medium heat. Cook the onions until translucent then add the garlic and the red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- While the onions are cooking, crush the tomatoes using your hands or puree briefly in a blender or food processor. You don't want to puree them to a smooth consistency, just to keep it from getting too chunky.
- Turn the heat off. Pour the vodka into the cooked onions and garlic and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for about a minute then add the tomatoes (including all of the juice). Cook until reduced, about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. While the tomatoes are reducing, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Add the heavy cream to the tomato sauce and stir to thoroughly incorporate. Salt to taste then add the basil. Toss with the cooked and drained pasta. Divide among 4 bowls and top with grated cheese.
7.8.1.249https://chattavore.com/penne-alla-vodka/
Yield: 4 servings
10 minPrep Time:
30 minCook Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 12oz penne (I used whole wheat)
- 28oz can whole tomatoes (I like San Marzanos or Tutturosso)
- 1/2 Small onion (diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced-I use my garlic press)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt (to taste)
- 6-8 basil leaves (chiffonade)
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet (I used a 12-inch) over medium heat. Cook the onions until translucent then add the garlic and the red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- While the onions are cooking, crush the tomatoes using your hands or puree briefly in a blender or food processor. You don't want to puree them to a smooth consistency, just to keep it from getting too chunky.
- Turn the heat off. Pour the vodka into the cooked onions and garlic and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for about a minute then add the tomatoes (including all of the juice). Cook until reduced, about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. While the tomatoes are reducing, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Add the heavy cream to the tomato sauce and stir to thoroughly incorporate. Salt to taste then add the basil. Toss with the cooked and drained pasta. Divide among 4 bowls and top with grated cheese.
