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Penne vodka
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5 from 1 vote

Penne Vodka

Creamy, lucious & a bit of kick!
Servings: 4
Author: Inspired by Ina Garten

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • 1 medium Spanish onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 2 28-ounce cans peeled plum tomatoes
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 pound penne pasta
  • 4 tablespoons fresh oregano
  • 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
  • Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Pierce the tomatoes over the sink, one by one, to let the water and seeds release from the tomatoes. This doesn't have to be perfect. Add them to a bowl and set aside. When all the tomatoes are in a bowl, crush them with your hands. Again, this does not have to be perfect because they will eventually be processed in a blender. Reserve 1 cup of puree from the can of tomatoes.
  • Once the tomatoes are prepared, Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the vodka and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.
  • Add the tomatoes & puree to the pan, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper. Stir to combine. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
  • Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency. Return to the pan.
  • At this point you can set the sauce aside until ready to use, or use right away. When you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, reheat the sauce, add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and enough heavy cream to make the sauce a creamy consistency.
  • Add salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes. Toss the pasta into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan.
  • Serve with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh oregano on each plate.

Notes

This sauce double wells. Sauce can be made in advance & frozen until the point where you add the cream and parmesan.