I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again– pass the vodka!! Except this time, the vodka is injected in a heavenly, smooth, lightly creamy tomato sauce. Use it to dress your bucatini, to grace your pizza crusts, and to dunk your garlic knots. She does all kinds of scenes, and she’s perfect in all of them. Viva la Vodka Sauce!

Recipe Notes:

Why Vodka?
I’ll be honest with you– up until I set out to develop this recipe I had no idea that vodka sauce actually has vodka in it. And now, my recipe is made with a full cup of vodka, and it’s undeniable. Don’t skimp on the vodka. Why? The addition of vodka (and alcohol in general) actually allows us to taste flavor compounds (especially in tomatoes) that we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to taste. Similar to the way that soy sauce and MSG allows us to taste notes of umami flavor that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. Flavor is CRAZY.

Additionally, vodka adds a specific kind of sharpness and spiciness to the sauce that balances the sweet tomatoes and cuts through the richness of the cream.

Why Canned Whole Plum Tomatoes?
So canned tomatoes are sometimes… kinda terrible! Have you ever eaten a super firm and metallic diced tomato from a can? It’s not very pleasant!

Tomatoes naturally pick up the tinny flavor of the can, and the more broken down they are (diced, crushed, pureed) the more of that flavor infiltrates them. Diced canned tomatoes are often treated with preservatives to help them keep their shape in storage which makes them unnaturally firm. When canned tomatoes are cooked for a long time they do eventually break down and lose their canny flavor, but I still like to go for canned whole plum tomatoes (this is my favorite brand) and break them down myself. To me they taste fresher and better. To crush them mess-free, pour into a zip top bag with their juices, seal well removing as much air as possible, and use your hands to squish them. (It’s actually really fun!) When you’re done, you can rinse the bag and use it over and over.

Keep scrolling for the recipe!

Vodka Sauce Recipe

Print Recipe

Pasta a la Vodka (Vodka Sauce)

Feel free to prepare less pasta and freeze leftover sauce– it freezes and reheats beautifully! When reheating, use low heat to keep the sauce silky.

Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 lb pasta
1.5 cups pasta water divided
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced
5 cloves garlic minced
Salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup vodka
2 28 oz cans whole san marzano plum tomatoes with basil crushed
1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Make the Pasta:

In a 8 quart pot, bring 5-6 quarts of well-salted water to a full boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1.5 cups or the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.

Prepare the Vodka Sauce:

In a large, heavy bottomed saute pan or pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Cook while stirring, until the tomato paste has darkened in color and is slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and maintain a high simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add 1.25 cups of the reserved pasta water to the sauce and puree until smooth using an immersion blender. (Alternatively, allow the sauce to cool off the heat for 30 minutes and puree in a blender in batches.)
Combine the remaining pasta water with the cream and stir into the sauce to your desired creaminess. Reheat the sauce gently over low heat (low heat will keep the sauce silky and avoid curdling) and toss with the pasta. Enjoy!