The Best Vodka Sauce
Italian, Sauces, Spreads, Dips & Dressings
Ingredients
16 oz dry rotini, or pasta shape of choice
vodka sauce
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large shallot minced
4 garlic cloves minced
1.33 cup tomato paste
6 tbsp vodka
2 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of well salted water, to al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. You’ll add this to the sauce later.
Place a skillet over medium heat and sauté shallots and garlic in some oil.
Add tomato paste and stir together. You want the tomato paste to turn a deep red color.
Deglaze pan with vodka and stir together for a few minutes.
Stir in reserved pasta water and simmer sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in cream and simmer for a few minutes.
Stir in grated Parmesan and butter until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.
Add cooked pasta and toss together until well coated.
Top with more Parmesan and serve!
Fill a large pot with water, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add a small handful salt to water and add pasta.
Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and set both aside.
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot add the oil and sauté the shallots and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the aromatics begin to slightly caramelize.
Add tomato paste and stir together. Continue to stir until the paste turns bright red, 2 to 3 minutes.
Deglaze the skillet with vodka, and stir together until the vodka evaporates.
Add the reserved pasta water to the skillet and stir together until it’s smooth, about 1 minute.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir cream into the sauce until mixture is smooth. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer together, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the butter and Parmesan, then continue to simmer until the sauce is smooth, glossy and has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it together until it’s fully coated.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with more grated Parmesan and black pepper.
Notes
Make Ahead:
The pasta can be cooked and stored in an airtight container up to 3 days. The sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and also stored in an airtight container (separate from the sauce) until ready to use. When ready to serve, pour sauce into a large saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir pasta into sauce and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes until pasta has heated through. Serve.
Freeze Ahead:
The pasta can be made, stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in refrigerator and stir into heated sauce until completely heated through. To freeze sauce ahead of time, make sauce until it’s time to add cream. Cool completely, then store partially made sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw sauce in refrigerator. Heat sauce in a saucepan until heated through, then stir in cream and simmer. Adjust seasonings before adding pasta and tossing together. Simmer until heated through and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 861kcal
Carbohydrates: 72g
Protein: 20g
Fat: 52g
Saturated Fat: 27g
Cholesterol: 140mg
Sodium: 764mg
Potassium: 862mg
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 10g
Vitamin A: 2421IU
Vitamin C: 15mg
Calcium: 289mg
Iron: 3mg