You Can Make Restaurant-Quality Penne Alla Vodka
This super simple recipe is WAY easier than you think!
Penne Alla Vodka sauce is a staple on many Italian restaurant menus. It is also one of the best-sellers. It appeals to adults and kids alike and I would venture to say that even the pickiest of eaters can get behind it.
For some reason, it never occurred to me to make it myself. In my mind, it was a dish best left to the professionals. Similar to sushi — sure, I could try to make it, but would it ever come out as good as ordering it at a restaurant?
Until one day, years ago, my mindset changed. My manager, Cathy, asked me to come over to her house to work on a project. After we finished talking business, the conversation naturally turned to cooking, as Cathy and I both loved food and recipe swapping. Always eager to learn from a great Italian home cook, I was absolutely thrilled when she asked me to stay and watch her make her Penne Alla Vodka.
At first, I was a bit intimidated. This seemingly complex sauce could not be replicated right here in her kitchen, could it? Surely, it would require hours of intense labor and a myriad of ingredients. Not true! I learned that day that it was virtually effortless to replicate this delightful Italian restaurant classic.
Cathy, similar to most good Italian cooks, did not have an actual written recipe. I just stood and watched her and took copious notes.
Here is the recipe, transcribed to the best of my abilities:
Penne Alla Vodka
Ingredients:
1 stick of salted butter
2/3–3/4 cup of Vodka (you do not need an expensive brand — I use Svedka)
1 jar (24oz) Francesco Rinaldi marinara sauce (no, this is not a typo and yes, I was just as surprised as you that she uses a jarred sauce! The day I was there she told me she uses her own homemade marinara, but if she does not have any on hand, she uses jarred and suggested Francesco Rinaldi. This is all I have ever used and it comes out delicious. If you are using jarred, ONLY use this brand, if possible)
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 box penne pasta
Parmesan cheese, grated (real Parmesan from a brick — not Kraft grated!)
Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large pan.
3. As soon as it foams (bubbles), add vodka. CAREFULLY stick your face over the pan and wave the air over the pan into your face — you will be accosted with an overwhelming vodka smell. Put heat to medium-high and stir, almost continuously, until the vodka smell goes away completely. This takes about 4–5 minutes.
4. Stir in the jar of marinara sauce. Once combined, add the heavy cream.
5. Pour sauce over drained pasta, add “a good handful” (or more) of the parmesan, if you like, and toss well. Serve and enjoy. YUM!!!
See, it is that easy! I never thought it possible, but it is. The flavor was spot-on and positively delicious. Perhaps, even better than a restaurant. I have given this recipe out dozens of times and even my friends who do not cook have effortlessly mastered it.
It has been years since I worked with Cathy, but every time I make this recipe, I think of her and the great day we had cooking. For those of you who have read my articles you probably now have connected the dots and realize Cathy was the manager I mentioned in this story below:
So now with this fool-proof recipe, you no longer have to go out to get a great Italian meal. Try it once and you will see that anyone is capable of making a Penne Alla Vodka sauce that tastes as if it was ordered at your favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant.
Happy cooking!