Penne alla Vodka

35 min · Easy · Serves 1

620 kcal per serving · 18g protein

Glossy salmon-pink penne in a creamy tomato-vodka sauce, finished with parmesan and torn basil. The dinner-party crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

• 100 g Penne rigate
• 100 ml Tomato passata
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 60 ml Heavy cream
• 30 ml Vodka
• Shallot (finely diced) × 1
• Garlic cloves (minced) × 2
• 30 g Grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Fresh basil leaves × 4
• 1 pinch Red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch Salt

Method

1. Cook pasta

   

   Boil the penne in a large pot of heavily salted water until al dente — tender but still with a slight bite. Scoop out and reserve 250ml of the pasta water before draining.

2. Heat the olive oil

   

   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

3. Add the shallot and sweat

   

   Add the shallot and sweat it — cook gently without letting it brown — until soft, 3 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and red

   

   Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

5. Add tomato + vodka

   

   Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute. Add passata and vodka, simmer 5 minutes for the alcohol to cook off and the sauce to thicken.

6. Cream it

   

   Stir in heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Simmer 2 minutes until the sauce is pink and glossy.

7. Toss

   

   Add the drained penne and toss until every piece is coated, loosening the sauce with splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the parmesan.

8. Plate

   

   Plate, top with torn basil and a final dusting of parmesan.