Creamy Vodka Sauce
Vodka sauce is one of my favorite sauces to make. Essentially, it’s a marinara with onions, heavy cream, and bacon or pancetta. Vodka sauce tastes rich and creamy with a bright and sweet tang from the tomatoes, and the clever addition of vodka adds a sharpness to the dish that brings the whole thing together. Without a doubt, this is a people-pleasing recipe that can be enjoyed year-round.
Vodka sauce tastes fantastic as a gravy substitute in baked ziti, with lasagna, or over a chicken parmigiana, among other meals. I’ve also paired vodka sauce with shrimp and lobster, and I can enthusiastically vouch for how delicious it tastes with seafood added to it. However, for this post and the sake of my wallet, we’re going with a traditional vodka sauce over one of my favorite cuts of pasta, rigatoni.
Burning off the alcohol brings out both the flavors and aromas of the sauce ingredients
40% is the magic number for the heavy cream
The tomatoes add a sweet tang to the dish, but they also give the sauce its signature color
While some people assert vodka manufacturers created the sauce, others say it was invented in Italy or by Italian-Americans. I’m no historian or detective, so I won’t be doing any investigating into its origin. However, I know that vodka sauce was popularized in the United States during the 1980s and has since become a staple in many restaurants. Vodka is an essential ingredient in the sauce, so I would advise not skipping its addition. Since alcohol is a solvent for aromatic compounds, adding a small amount of it to your food will make the smell of all the different ingredients stronger. As the vodka burns off its alcohol content, it carries those scent particles into the air. Thus it strengthens the aroma of the food.
Alcohol also enhances the flavor of the tomatoes because burning it off unlocks new flavors that were previously inaccessible. There are specific flavor components in tomatoes that can only be brought out by dissolving them in alcohol. This process releases new flavors and concentrates the taste of others. Additionally, the vodka adheres with the fat from the cream and the liquid in the tomatoes, which blends the two very different flavors seamlessly, making the sauce taste like a more creamy, unified whole, bonded together by this emulsifying process that keeps the sauce from separating.
Ya’ll have just been scienced. BOOM.
Adding salt to taste
I like to cook the basil or parsley for 1 or 2 minutes at the end so it doesn’t lose its flavor
Make your pasta while the sauce is cooking so everything is done around the same time
Vodka sauce is a one-pot recipe, so for those of you readers who are like me and hate doing dishes, you can breathe a sigh of relief because I don’t see many in your future! Vodka sauce is as straightforward as it gets. If you follow the steps and mind the heat on your stovetop, it should be smooth sailing throughout the entire cooking process. All you have to do is sauté your garlic, onions (or shallots), and bacon (or pancetta) in butter and a bit of olive oil for a few minutes before tossing in a small amount of vodka, burning off its alcohol. Next, you pour in the heavy cream and let that cook for a few minutes, and then you add in the crushed tomatoes, followed by the salt and a little bit of fresh basil or Italian parsley. It’s a painless process that won’t take up much of your time. I’d say your meal will be hot and ready in around 30 minutes if you make the pasta while the sauce is cooking.
I like to serve vodka sauce with rigatoni, ziti, penne, rotini, or lobster ravioli with a side salad. Fettuccine would also go well, but most hollow kinds of pasta would work the best. You want to choose a shape that can trap the sauce inside it, which means tubular pasta cuts.
Considering that the vodka and tomato in the cream sauce balance out its richness with acidity, I would pair this sauce with a wine that can do the same and cut through this dish's fat content. A wine that also contrasts its richness would work well, too. Try a Sangiovese, Chianti, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, or even a nice California Chardonnay.
You can freeze vodka sauce for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to thaw, leave it in the refrigerator overnight or cook it on low heat in a pot
Ingredients
1 quart of 40% heavy cream
14 oz of crushed tomato
2 oz (1/4 cup) of vodka
1/2 lb bacon, chopped (or pancetta)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped (or 2 small shallots)
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of fresh basil for the sauce and for garnish (or Italian parsley, chopped, plus a few unchopped pieces to use as garnish)
Salt to taste
(optional): 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red chili flakes
(optional): 3/4 cup of frozen peas
(optional): Parmigiana-Reggiano to garnish
Cooking Instructions
Melt butter in a pot on medium heat with olive oil
Throw in the bacon, garlic, and onions, stirring so that the ingredients are coated
Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until the bacon is browning and the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally
Pour in the vodka and turn up the heat, burning off the alcohol for around 1-2 minutes
Pour in heavy cream and turn down the heat. Cook for 4 minutes on medium-high heat until the cream just boils, stirring occasionally
Add in the crushed tomatoes and cook for around 4-5 minutes, bringing the sauce to boil
Decrease the heat to a simmer and add salt to taste with basil or parsley. Cook for another 2 minutes
Remove from heat and immediately pour over pasta, garnishing the meal with fresh basil or parsley and Parmigiana-Reggiano. Serve with a side salad or a loaf of crusty Italian bread, and enjoy
