Recipe
How To Make The Perfect Penne Alla Vodka
Coming to school in New York from Massachusetts I discovered this dish that everyone was obsessed with, a dish I had never even heard of. Penne alla Vodka is the clear favorite amongst my friends, and they were astonished when I admitted to not knowing what it was or what the hype was, even with eating out at fancy Italian restaurants back in Massachusetts frequently.
After researching the origin of Penne alla Vodka, I discovered that this was in fact not authentic Italian and was created by vodka companies. In the 1970s vodka companies wanted to increase vodka consumption in Italy, suggesting to combine this with heavy cream tomato sauce. This trend did not last with stubborn southern Italians, yet created a trend in America.
I was determined to try making this homemade sauce to see what all the boost was about, and was surprisingly impressed with the results.
Penne Alla Vodka
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr
- Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 4 cans Pastene "Kitchen Ready" tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 2 pinches black pepper to taste
- 2 pinches oregano to taste
- 2 pinches basil to taste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 2 tbs fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup Romano cheese
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh mozzarella cheese
- Optional: Ricotta cheese
- Optional: Fresh Italian Bread
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
Step 11
Step 12
Step 13
Step 14
Step 15
Step 16
Step 17
Step 18
Making this sauce is not as intimidating as it may seem with the flexibility in how cheesy and creamy it is, as well as how many seasonings you would like to add in. Adding in the Italian sausage and mushrooms are also optional, yet they nicely compliment the flavor of the sauce.
This sauce recipe is enough to satisfy even the most loyal Penne alla Vodka fans, and maybe will even leave them with a new favorite asking for more. I enjoyed making this from scratch and was impressed with the combination of creamy and tomato sauce flavors. I also now understand how the dish creates such a hype in the New York area, even if it is not authentic Italian.