Simple Penne Alla Vodka

Submitted by graffeetee

"A good weeknight choice, this is my version of the classic dish."

 

• Ready In: 28mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 3-4

ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1⁄2 cup vodka
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree
• 1⁄8 - 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending how spicy you like things) or 1/8-1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (depending how spicy you like things)
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 - 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3⁄4 - 1 lb penne, cooked (again, depending on how "saucy" you like your pasta)

directions

1. Saute the onion in the combined butter and olive oil until translucent.
2. Add the prosciutto and saute an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add vodka and cook on high heat for 4 minutes.
4. Add tomato puree and red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add cream and simmer for an additional 1 minute.
6. Salt to taste. Toss with hot cooked penne and Parmesan cheese. Serve extra Parmesan on the table if desired.

Reviews

[SusieQusie]

The only thing _simple_ about this dish is the prep - certainly not the sophisticated flavor! I made just as written except for sautéing some minced garlic with the onion. I was liberal with the hot pepper flakes - probably closer to 1 tsp by the time I was through. The finished sauce was _silky_ in texture and coated the pasta like a dream. The prosciutto added a smoky/salty backnote. I think a key step here is cooking off the alcohol before adding the tomatoes and cream. Others I've tasted were almost bitter from the vodka. This is truly gourmet in less than 30 minutes! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I'm sure to repeat this one! ;-)

 

[Brenda H.]

I work in a restaurant and overheard a customer talking about this dish. Never heard of it before, so I looked up a recipe and decided to try it. I mistakenly picked up pancetta instead of prosciutto. Not a problem. I used the pancetta and it was amazing. If it was that good with pancetta, I can’t wait to try it with the prosciutto. Wow!! So easy, so quick and sooooo yummy ??

 

[hillrd]

At the request of my son, I looked up Penne Ala Vodka online because he and his girlfriend had it at a restaurant and loved it. I'd never tried it and ended up making this recipe tonight after scrolling down through the five others that were above it. I am very glad I picked this one, and can only restate the comments that Susie said. I put on the water and cooked the pasta while chopping a medium-sized onion and sauteing it with about 3-4 cloves of minced garlic in butter and olive oil. I also used pureed a 15-oz can of Del Monte diced tomatoes (the kind with basil, garlic, and oregano). Everything else was exactly per the recipe. I drained the penne pasta and poured it into my large pan with the sauce and tossed with 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Put generous portions on each plate, then topped with a sprinkle of salt and a good bit of fresh Asiago cheese from a hand grater. It was perfect - very gourmet with lots of subtle flavors - and everyone went for seconds until it was gone. Only other thing I did was broil a bunch of slices of Italian bread that were brushed with olive oil, minced garlic and basil and served with a French Cabernet wine. Awesome meal and we can't wait to try it again. Actually created a site login to post this comment and let others know how good it was...

 

[Mamas Kitchen Hope]

Wow~ Really WOW~ When I was making this I kept thinking- ok this is just NOT gonna be good. I was soooo wrong! This was devine! I cheated on the heavy cream- I used the trick of cottage cheese and powdered milk in a blender for 5 minutes so that I didnt have the FAT!- and I used turkey bacon for the prosciutto since I do not eat red meat or pork- Aside from those issues I made this as instructed and was so pleasantly pleased! BLOWN AWAY! This has a slight smoky flavor from the meat and a creaminess from the dairy that is just so sublime! I used 1/2 t red pepper flakes and wanted it spicier! I did use organic tomato puree too! This is a specatcular dish grafeetee! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! This is going into my keeper cookbook! What a stupendous find- and one that can be made from mostly pantry ingredients and a few refrigerator staples! AND in UNDER 30 minutes! STANDING OVATION! Thanks grafeetee!