In addition to being a classic of 80s cuisine, pasta with vodka is a quick and easy pasta dish to prepare. It’s hard to say where it was born, probably in a restaurant in Bologna but they became famous in Italy because they were mentioned in a book by a famous Italian actor of those years and used in discos.

To prepare a good dish of penne with vodka, you just need to have very few ingredients on your kitchen shelves, specifically: short penne-type pasta – or even better – penne, dry vodka, tomato sauce, cooking cream and pancetta(smoked bacon ).

The other day Vodka Sauce was requested for Private Online Interactive class on zoom and we made this recipe with ravioli instead of the traditional penne and honestly it was so good.

One of the useful tips we can give you is not to save on the doses of cream, which you can use a lot if you want to make the sauce soft and creamy, and to add an extra touch of flavor and refinement to the dish you can add a spoonful of grated Parmigiano and also sprinkle some parsley on the dish, before serving at the table.

If you are lactose intolerant, don’t give up on the creamy texture of your dish and use Lactose Free Cream

The delicate balance between vodka and cream makes this dish loved by everyone – even by children – in fact, contrary to what one might imagine, it is not a dish with strong flavours. The alcoholic component of vodka tends to go away once it evaporates, thus giving the dish an original and much appreciated taste.

Vodka Sauce

Ingredients Shopping List

2 tbs. of olive oil

200 gr = 7 oz. pancetta

1/2 medium onion

80 ml =1/3 cup of Vodka

 Ca.500 gr =17 oz. peeled tomatoes /tomato puree/crushed tomatoes

1 tbs of tomato paste

100 ml=1/2  cup heavy cream

Salt and black pepper

fresh basil optional

red pepper optional

ca.500 gr =17 oz. of short pasta or gnocchi

Cut the bacon into cubes.

Chop onion

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large deep pan over medium heat and release the fat from the bacon, stirring occasionally. You want the bacon to be slightly crunchy.

Add the onion and cook until it is slightly soft. Add the crushed red pepper if you are making the hot vodka sauce.

 Add the vodka, stir to deglaze the pan and let it cook and reduce by half.

Add the tomatoes (mash them gradually) and the tomato paste and let it simmer. Cook to reduce and concentrate the flavors.

Add the cream.

Stir in the cream until the sauce emulsifies and turns into a nice pinkish pink.

Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

 It’s ready for pasta!