AuthorChandniPasta in vodka sauce is surprisingly easy and even more surprisingly delicious. Plus it’s creamy and mildly spicy - perfect for date night.
Every Saturday night, I make myself a bowl of pasta, pour myself a glass of wine and plonk in front of the TV to catch up with my weekly binge-watching. It’s my weekly date night with myself and a great way to wind down after an overwhelmingly exhausting work week. After a few rounds of cacio e pepe, spaghetti aglio e olio and pesto, I was obviously bored. So this week I tried out this Pasta Alla Vodka and I have to say I’m in LOVE.
What is Pasta Alla Vodka?
A quick and easy pink sauce pasta, Pasta Alla Vodka was apparently extremely popular in the 1970s and 80s as an ‘impress your date’ meal. After I cooked it the other day, I can see why. It’s really easy to put together and extremely delicious - creamy and spicy - great for date night. It’s usually made with Penne pasta but I’m not a fan so I’ve made it with Farfalle or bow tie pasta. Rigatoni is supposed to be great for this dish as well since you get more sauce per bite.
This Pasta Alla Vodka recipe is another good one to have in your easy pantry recipes collection. It’s made using a handful of ingredients you probably have lying around anyway. The measurements mentioned in the recipe card below make pasta for one. So please adjust accordingly.
What does the vodka do in Pasta Alla Vodka?
The vodka plays two roles in this sauce - it helps emulsify the sauce so everything stays together in a delicious creamy sauce and it brings out flavours of the tomato that you usually wouldn’t get by just using water. So can you skip the vodka in Pasta Alla Vodka? Nope. It just won’t taste right. That said, remember that you’re hardly using any in this recipe and the alcohol content will get cooked off.
Try this recipe for your next date night! If you choose to post it on Instagram, please tag me @ckukreja, I love seeing your recreations.
Pasta Alla Vodka Recipe For One
Start making your Pasta Alla Vodka by cooking your pasta of choice as per the package instructions. Always remember to:
a) cook your pasta in plenty of salted water
b) stop the cooking a minute earlier than the recommended time so that you can finish cooking the pasta in the pasta sauce
c) reserve the pasta water - at least 1 cup - if you choose to drain it off
While the pasta is boiling, you can get started with the sauce. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. You can also add some butter here if you like. Once the oil is hot, add the 3-4 cloves minced garlic and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Next, add the finely chopped onion and let it cook for a minute or so until transparent and soft.
Once the onions have cooked a bit, add 2-3 tbsp of tomato paste. Tomato paste helps give you a very concentrated flavour and if you have it in your pantry, it will make it very easy to cook this pasta sauce. Cook out the tomato paste for a minute and make sure it has coated the onion well.
Now add a splash of vodka, mix everything well and let the vodka cook out - about a minute or so. Follow with 2-3 tbsp of fresh cream and 3/4 cup of pasta water. Stir everything well until combined. Once this sauce comes to a simmer, add the grated Parmesan cheese and let the sauce thicken a bit. Season the sauce with a little salt and chilli flakes.
Once the vodka sauce has reached the consistency you like, add the almost-cooked pasta to the skillet and toss well until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Now, turn the heat down and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. If the sauce seems too thick for your liking, thin it out by adding the reserved pasta water - a tbsp at a time until you’re happy.
Once the pasta is cooked, spoon it into your favourite pasta bowl and finish off with some more Parmesan cheese and chilli flakes. Sit back and enjoy pasta alla vodka with a glass of wine.
Ingredients
Directions
Start making your Pasta Alla Vodka by cooking your pasta of choice as per the package instructions. Always remember to:
a) cook your pasta in plenty of salted water
b) stop the cooking a minute earlier than the recommended time so that you can finish cooking the pasta in the pasta sauce
c) reserve the pasta water - at least 1 cup - if you choose to drain it off
While the pasta is boiling, you can get started with the sauce. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. You can also add some butter here if you like. Once the oil is hot, add the 3-4 cloves minced garlic and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Next, add the finely chopped onion and let it cook for a minute or so until transparent and soft.
Once the onions have cooked a bit, add 2-3 tbsp of tomato paste. Tomato paste helps give you a very concentrated flavour and if you have it in your pantry, it will make it very easy to cook this pasta sauce. Cook out the tomato paste for a minute and make sure it has coated the onion well.
Now add a splash of vodka, mix everything well and let the vodka cook out - about a minute or so. Follow with 2-3 tbsp of fresh cream and 3/4 cup of pasta water. Stir everything well until combined. Once this sauce comes to a simmer, add the grated Parmesan cheese and let the sauce thicken a bit. Season the sauce with a little salt and chilli flakes.
Once the vodka sauce has reached the consistency you like, add the almost-cooked pasta to the skillet and toss well until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Now, turn the heat down and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. If the sauce seems too thick for your liking, thin it out by adding the reserved pasta water - a tbsp at a time until you’re happy.
Once the pasta is cooked, spoon it into your favourite pasta bowl and finish off with some more Parmesan cheese and chilli flakes. Sit back and enjoy pasta alla vodka with a glass of wine.