Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Italian · American

Penne alla vodka

Vegetarian

Penne in a blush-pink sauce of tomato, cream and a splash of vodka, simmered with shallot and chilli and finished with Parmigiano.

Penne alla vodka is an Italian pasta dish, ready in about 35 minutes and made with dried pasta, tomato passata and vodka. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of penne alla vodka in creamy pink tomato sauce
Photo: Joy / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
721

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat and soften the shallot (opens in a new tab) for 4 minutes. Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), chilli and tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until the paste darkens.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Pour in the vodka (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the passata and a pinch of salt and simmer for 10 minutes.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat

    Food safety: Add the vodka off the heat, then return the pan — alcohol vapour can catch on a gas flame.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes until pink and silky. Meanwhile cook the penne (opens in a new tab) in salted water until just al dente.

  4. Step 4

    Toss the penne (opens in a new tab) in the sauce with a splash of cooking water and the Parmesan (opens in a new tab) until glossy. Serve straight away.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedPopular in both Italy and Italian-American restaurants since the 1970s–80s; both claim it and no single origin is proven.Also popular in Italy, United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
creamy, tangy, rich
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday
Cook more with
Dried pasta · Tomato passata · Heavy cream · Unsalted butter · Shallot · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter, heavy cream, parmesan
  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

721 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 299 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 52%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy721 kcal241 kcal
Protein21.1 g7 g
Carbohydrate89.5 g29.9 g
Net carbohydrate83.6 g27.9 g
Sugars10.8 g3.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.9 g2 g
Fat27.9 g9.3 g
Saturated fat15.1 g5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol67 mg22 mg
Sodium——
Salt equivalent——
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
848 mg
Calcium
224 mg
Iron
5.7 mg
Magnesium
91 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
263 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0.7 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
411 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): salt — so sodium is shown as unknown.
  • Vodka: Generic 80-proof distilled spirit (FDC 174815: gin, rum, vodka, whiskey).
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The vodka mostly cooks off but sharpens the tomato and cream flavours.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the sauce hard after adding the cream, which can split it.

Food safety

  • Some alcohol remains after short simmering; use the alternative for children or if avoiding alcohol.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Warm gently with a splash of water or milk.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like