Easy Rustic Vodka Sauce Recipe

Vodka sauce isn’t just to booze it up, it really makes your pasta better.

Let’s back up a bit. Just what exactly is vodka sauce? It’s pink, it’s pretty, and it really does have vodka in it. It’s little bit retro (it was super popular in the 70s and 80s) and something you almost always see at classic old school Italian American pasta places. Vodka sauce is rich, luscious, and is one of the best homemade pasta sauces you’ll ever learn to make. If you’ve only ever had the jarred stuff before, you’re in for a treat.

Vodka sauce, like so many beloved foods, has somewhat of a murky beginning. Some people say that it’s completely Italian American and some say it originated in Bologna, Italy.

A more rustic style vodka sauce

American vodka sauce tends to be on the more creamy side, but I like my vodka sauce with a more Italian bent: easy to make with a few good ingredients that you can taste. So this version is more of a rustic style with chunks of veg you can see, much more olive oil, and not too much cream. There’s a lot of time spent simmering but very little time actually making the sauce. I set timers for every step so there’s not a lot of watching the stove (although I stay in the kitchen to drink and chat). It’s important to get good olive oil and canned tomatoes if you can.

Secrets of restaurant pasta

As we mention in our cookbook, That Noodle Life, the secret of good pasta is pretty simple. You need a good bronze die cut pasta (that’s the kind that looks sandy), cook it to 2-3 mins less than the time on the package, drain but don’t rinse, and finish in the sauce for 2-3 minutes. It might seem like a lot (and your arm won’t like it) but in the final minute, the pasta and sauce goes from watery to creamy and it clings to your pasta like nothing else. To avoid your pasta breaking, gently stir it with a silicone spatula or silicone covered tongs.

How to make vodka sauce

1. Render the pancetta (or prosciutto). Cut the pancetta into cubes. Add to a medium pot along with a good glug of olive oil (1/4 cup) over low heat. You’re basically shallow-frying your pancetta here. Remove the pancetta and set aside, so it remains crispy.
2. Make your soffrito. I like to add the garlic in first for 2-3 minutes let the edges brown a touch. Stir in the onion and carrots and cook until slightly soft, about 15 minutes. Good soffrito takes time, so don’t rush it.
3. Add the vodka. This is the fun part! Stir in the vodka, scraping the pan a little to deglaze, and let it cook down and reduce by half. This takes about 10 minutes on our stove. Don’t smell it for the first 5 minutes or your nose will burn up (unless you are a functional alcoholic).
4. Add the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and let everything come to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then let simmer for 30 minutes to form the sauce.
5. Finish with cream. Stir in the cream and continue simmering until the sauce emulsifies and becomes a beautiful rosy orange, about 15 minutes. Taste and finalize your seasoning.
6. Sauce your pasta. Saucing pasta in the pan for at least 2 minutes will emulsify the sauce and prevent a thin watery finish. Some say this is the most important step to a really good pasta dish.

Ingredients for vodka sauce

1. Pancetta. Pancetta is Italian smoked pork belly. It adds smokiness, salt, and umami to the sauce. I’m not as picky about pancetta vs prosciutto as other people and honestly it’s an optional ingredient. Leave it out if you would like a cleaner brighter sauce, or are vegan/feeding vegans.
2. Onion and carrots. Soffrito is the base of Italian sauces and this one is no different. Cook it low and slow to create the flavors that your sauce will build on.
3. Garlic. Some Italians say that technically it’s a sin to add garlic to many sauces, but it’ll be our little secret because I love garlic.
4. Vodka. The quality of the vodka isn’t so important here, so if you aren’t a drinker and don’t have a usual brand of vodka, just buy the cheapest one you can find. See below for brand recommendations.
5. Whole tomatoes. Try to buy an organic can of diced or crushed tomatoes. Be careful of buying expensive cans of san marzano from Italy, a lot of them are fake.
6. Heavy cream. The cream is what gives the sauce body and that classic orange vodka sauce color.

What is vodka sauce?

Vodka sauce is a tomato based cream sauce that is made with vodka. The vodka adds a distinctly sharp, bright flavor and helps emulsify the cream and tomatoes together. It’s a super comforting sauce that comes together quickly and pairs perfectly with pasta.

What does vodka sauce taste like?

Vodka sauce is creamy and rich. It’s luxurious and silky on the tongue thanks to the cream and sweet with a bit of acid from the tomato. As the sauce cooks over a low flame, the tomatoes caramelize and turn jammy, melding and combining with the vodka. The vodka flavor isn’t anywhere to be seen, but the alcohol carries so many more flavors than you’d get with just water or even white wine. The tomato is dominant, with a hint of brightness and herbaceous pepperiness.

Is there vodka in vodka sauce?

Yes, there is vodka in vodka sauce. Lots of sauces have alcohol added to them: the alcohol bonds with fat and water, so food become smells and tastes better. Simply said, food cooked with alcohol becomes more aromatic and flavorful. Most authentic Italian sauces have wine and in this case, we switch out wine for vodka.

What brand of vodka should I buy

Honestly it doesn’t matter too much because vodka should be colorless and tasteless. Smirnoff tends to win the double blind taste tests in those categories, and if you would prefer a bit of an upgrade, I have a soft spot in my heart for Stoli, Titos, and Costco Kirkland brand. But really, any vodka will do, make sure it’s one you like to drink, since we’ll only need 1/2 a cup of it.

Can you make vodka sauce without vodka?

Yes, you can absolutely make vodka sauce without vodka. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will still taste pretty close. To substitute vodka, add a squeeze of lemon and some extra pepper.

Is vodka sauce vegetarian?

Most vodka sauce recipes out there are vegetarian. This recipe has pancetta (Italian cured pork belly) in it but you can leave it out to make a vegetarian version.

Can you add meat?

If you love some protein in your pasta sauce, you can definitely make this sauce with meat. Actually, this recipe already has meat in it: pancetta. Pancetta is cured pork belly and it is absolutely delicious (and by far the best meat for pasta sauces). It adds smokiness, saltiness, and umami to the sauce. The pancetta gets crisped up and when you get a bite with a little nugget of salty, porky goodness it’s like winning the lottery.

Pork and tomatoes are a classic Italian combination because they compliment each other perfectly. If you don’t have pancetta, you can substitute it with bacon. You can also do vodka sauce with ground pork, ground beef, and especially with chicken, which is probably the second best option.

Make it spicy

If you love spicy pasta, this vodka sauce is the perfect vehicle. Just add a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes in when you’re cooking the garlic and onions – adding the pepper flakes to hot oil blooms them and releases and amplifies their spicy flavor.

Which pasta shape is best?

This creamy, spicy, delicious sauce will pair well with any pasta, but we especially love it with short pasta. Penne alla vodka is the classic but you could use any short pasta you love.

• Farfalle: Bow ties for the win! Some say bow ties (or butterflies, depending on who you are) are for kids but I say they’re for everyone! Farfalle actually traditionally go with a cream or tomato sauces so they’re perfect with vodka sauce, which is a combo of both.
• Fusilli: Fusilli are curly twirly corkscrews that is perfect for cream sauce. The grooves grape the sauce and they’re just a fun shape.
• Rigatoni: These tubes have nice ridges that the creamy sauce can cling to. They look almost like penne but are bigger and have straight instead of diagonal edges. I really like vodka sauce with rigatoni. Pictured below are calamarata, which are like a distant cousin of rigatoni.
• Shells: Um, shells might be the perfect shape for every sauce because of the little scoop inside where the sauce can snuggle up. More sauce equals more life, amiright?

This is going to be one of the best sauces you’ll ever make. If you’ve only had jarred vodka sauce, you need this recipe in your life. The pancetta is a game changer – that classic combination of pork and tomatoes (much like in amatriciana) is out of this world delicious. Please make this! You will fall into a happy pasta coma and realize that everything is right with the world.

Easy Rustic Vodka Sauce

An easier, more Italian forward version of the sauce everyone loves

Serves 4

5 from 6 votes

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 lb pancetta or prosciutto, cubed, optional but highly recommended
• 1 carrot diced
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic sliced
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 14 oz canned tomatoes diced or crushed recommended
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 14 oz pasta
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to taste

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pan. If using pancetta, fry your pancetta until crispy, about 5 minutes, then remove.
  
• Add the garlic and fry until the edges are very slightly brown.
  
• Make the soffrito: stir in carrots and onions and cook until soft, 15 minutes.
  
• Add the vodka and reduce by half, 10 minutes. Increase the heat if your sauce doesn't come to a simmer within about 1 minute.
  
• Stir in the canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Add the cream and reduce the heat to low. Continue simmering for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat.

  At the same time, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add pasta. Cook 2-3 minutes less than the package time.
  
• Optional: for a more rustic feel, use a masher to crush your sauce into a paste.
  
• When your pasta is done, drain but don't rinse, then transfer the pasta to the saucepot. Stir with a soft silicone spatula for 2-3 minutes, or until a thick sauce coats your pasta.
  
• Transfer pasta to dishes, then top with pancetta (if using), grated cheese, and pepper flakes to taste.
  

Notes

Estimated Nutrition doesn't include pancetta (but does include 3.5oz of dried pasta per serving).

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Easy Rustic Vodka Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 621 Calories from Fat 228

% Daily Value*

Fat 25.3g39%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 41mg14%

Sodium 43mg2%

Potassium 311mg9%

Carbohydrates 72.3g24%

Fiber 4.9g20%

Sugar 7.1g8%

Protein 12.9g26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.