Spicy Vodka Sauce

Vodka Sauce

Vodka sauce is something I NEVER order if I'm at a restaurant. It can be hit or miss and is often just a bland tomato sauce with added cream. It's not like Spaghetti Carbonara where I might not have guanciale on hand that week so ordering it in a restaurant is a delicacy.

My spicy vodka sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods and it's a million times better than when you order it in a restaurant. It's quick and easy and always makes my wife happy.

Okay, maybe every restaurant's vodka sauce isn't bad, but it is so simple to make at home. You need a couple of fresh ingredients and you'll have the perfect sauce in less than an hour.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Pancetta: Cooking Italian food always comes down to using simple, but fresh, ingredients. The key to any vodka sauce is the pancetta. Some recipes will say you can substitute bacon or prosciutto, but it's not the same. It's a completely different flavor and texture. When cooked in the sauce it doesn't become spongey or soggy the way bacon does.

Penne alla vodka without pancetta is simply not penne alla vodka. But, a lot of people would argue that putting garlic and basil in this dish is not traditional and forget about it when they hear I added crushed red peppers.

Make sure when you pick up your pancetta, you have them cut it ¼-1/2 inch thick. It's easier to cut when it's very cold so I like to throw it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before I cube the pancetta. Cube it into ¼-inch pieces.

Vodka. If you can't use vodka, substitute chicken broth. I highly recommend using vodka.

How to Make Spicy Vodka Sauce

Step 1: Add pancetta to a cold pan. Bring the large saucepan to medium heat.

Step 2: Saute the pancetta until the fat renders and the meat turns golden brown. Stir often to make sure all sides of the meat are golden brown and crispy. You want your pancetta to look like this before you pull it out!

Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and set it aside. We'll save it for later.

Step 3: Leave all of the oil in the pan from the pancetta. Lower the heat to medium. Stir in chopped shallots and saute for about 5 minutes. You don't want the shallots to burn, so if they start to get brown around the edges pull the pan off the heat for a minute and keep stirring. This will prevent them from burning.

Step 4: Once they've softened, add in your garlic, crushed red pepper, and tomato paste. Add the tomato paste to the edge of the pan and keep it separate from the shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Then stir the tomato paste in.

Step 5: Pour in ½ cup of vodka and bring to a simmer. Allow the vodka to simmer until it reduces by about half. When you drag your wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan you should see it part and then slowly come back together.

Step 6: When you reach the desired consistency, pour in the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Mash up the tomatoes after you bring the sauce to a boil. This will make it a lot easier to break apart the tomatoes. Add the pancetta back in and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Step 7: Pour in the heavy cream once your sauce is finished simmering. Combine until you reach the desired orange/pink flavor.

Step 8: While the sauce is simmering get a pot of water boiling. Add some salt to it and once there are about 10 minutes left on your simmer, get your pasta in the boiling water. Penne is usually the go-to with vodka sauce, but I do it with rigatoni or farfalle sometimes. Really, I'll do it with whatever happens to be in the pantry at that time.

Stir the pasta into the sauce pot and combine with parmesan cheese!

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