A slight twist on Penne Alla Vodka, this pasta dishes embraces the lesser known Pennoni Rigati pasta and adds a spicy kick to a traditional vodka sauce. Garnish with basil, fresh Parmesan, and pair it with a Chianti Classico for an elevated yet comforting dinner.
Spicy Pennoni Alle Vodka
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A slight twist on Penne Alla Vodka, this pasta dishes embraces the lesser known Pennoni Rigati pasta and adds a spicy kick to a traditional vodka sauce. Garnish with basil, fresh Parmesan, and pair it with a Chianti Classico for an elevated yet comforting dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 500 g bag of Pennoni Rigati pasta (or penne, rigatoni, etc.)
- 1 700 g bottle of tomato passata
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 cup cream
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon red chili flakes
- 1/24 cup olive oil
- 1/4 freshly grated Parmesan (plus more for serving)
- Fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Infuse red chili flakes and minced garlic in the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan. Give it about 5 minutes.
- Add the entire bottle of tomato passata. Fill the empty passata bottle with about 1 cup of water, swirl it around, and add it to the pan as well so you don’t lose any of the residual passata.
- Add salt and fresh black pepper to taste, allowing this tomato mixture to reduce for about 20-30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about a third. Stir occasionally.
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Once the sauce has reduced, add the vodka.
- Increase the heat to high to cook off the alcohol, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat back to medium, add the dried oregano, and allow it to cook for another 15 minutes.
- Once the pasta water is boiling, add your pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than the length of time recommended on the package.
- While the pasta cooks, stir in the cream and reduce the heat to low.
- Transfer the cooked pasta from the pot of water to the sauce pan using a slotted spoon and toss to coat.
- Add a ladleful of the starchy pasta water to the pasta and sauce, allowing it to reduce for another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the grated Parmesan
- Remove the pasta from the heat and serve immediately with some more freshly grated Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves.
Sydney is a 29-year old American living between France and Italy. She has a WSET Level 2 certification in wine, along with a degree in environmental engineering and an MBA. She loves exploring local farmer’s markets, haunting her favorite wine bar, and discovering new restaurants.
