4.92 stars (37 ratings)
52 Comments »
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Amazingly creamy, so bright, and super quick + easy. Comes together in 30 min! Serve with additional fresh Parmesan. SO SO GOOD.
Whoa. Just whoa.
This has been on my dinner table almost every day this week.
It’s creamy. It’s bright. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s seriously got EVERYTHING you need – pasta, vodka, butter and fresh Parm. Do we need anything else?
I think not. And if you need some protein in this, you can throw in leftover rotisserie chicken and let that saucy goodness soak right in.
I personally love the shape of the radiatore pasta because it catches so much of the sauce but you can also sub in penne, rotini, or rigatoni!
Vodka Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 30 minutes minutes
Amazingly creamy, so bright, and super quick + easy. Comes together in 30 min! Serve with additional fresh Parmesan. SO SO GOOD.
4.9 stars (37 ratings)
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces radiatore pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium shallots, diced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup vodka
- 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup basil leaves, chiffonade
Instructions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 cup water and drain well.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Working carefully, stir in vodka, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Stir in crush tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Stir in pasta, adding reserved pasta water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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posted on September 3, 2020under entree, pasta,
52 CommentsLeave a Comment »
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52 comments -
Angela M — March 3, 2024 @ 8:27 AM Reply
It was too sweet.
-
Nancy — February 22, 2024 @ 2:48 PM Reply
Easy and delicious, I did skip using paste, still came out delicious .
-
Brooke — February 16, 2024 @ 2:12 PM Reply
Soooo good and incredibly easy! I only made some minor adjustments: I used whole milk instead of heavy cream, and I used half a yellow onion instead of shallots. I steamed some broccoli and added that to the pasta and sauce at the end which was a nice way to sneak in some veggies. My husband and I will be making this a weeknight staple!
-
Ann — October 2, 2023 @ 5:00 PM Reply
Can I make the sauce the morning of my dinner party and reheat it?
Thank you!
-
Jaclyn — December 29, 2022 @ 4:58 PM Reply
DELICIOUS!! Vodka sauce is one of my favorite sauces to order at restaurants but I had never made it at home. This recipe was easy to follow, and I did not stray from it except I used one really large shallot and 4 tablespoons of butter instead of 3 (more by accident). Itturned out amazing!!
-
Grace — December 12, 2022 @ 11:38 AM Reply
This is a new favorite at our house! It’s so easy to make and packs a ton of flavor! Would it be possible to make ahead and freeze it?
-
Catherine — February 24, 2024 @ 9:05 AM Reply
Hey! How did it freeze? I am thinking about doing the same but am not sure how the texture is when it is reheated. Thanks 🙂
-
Alicia Polendo — April 12, 2022 @ 9:56 AM Reply
So good! Made this last night and the recipe was easy to follow and came together perfectly. My two teenagers said the next time their friends come over for dinner I should make this again because it was so good! Woohoo! I used tomato sauce instead of paste (3x as much sauce to paste ratio) because I didn’t realize I was out of paste, yellow onion instead of shallots and canned crushed tomatoes with basil already in them instead of fresh basil because I didn’t have any and it was still soo good! Definitely adding this into the regular dinner rotation.
-
Tina H — March 15, 2022 @ 12:54 PM Reply
My hubby made this to serve on our Rana lobster ravioli. It was “Damn Delicious”!!! I can’t wait to make this for my 13 year old Grandson Charlie and other family members who love vodka sauce. They all will absolutely love it!
I’d rate it ten stars! Thanks Chunguh.
-
Lisa — January 2, 2022 @ 2:34 PM Reply
Damn Delicious Vodka Sauce……and simple too!
-
Paula — December 30, 2021 @ 12:45 PM Reply
Basic, tasty dish to add to your repertoire. I added half the cream and pecorino and it was pretty damn good.
-
Caitlyn Manglicmot — November 5, 2021 @ 3:05 PM Reply
This is literally 11/10, at this point, I don’t need to go out to eat for quality vodka sauce
-
Bill — October 17, 2021 @ 12:08 PM Reply
So tasty, though I did take some artistic license with the recipe to fit my tastes.
It’s pretty easy to make. I first made this last weekend, served it over some sauted mushrooms, peppers, and eggplant with some pasta thrown in. I made enough to have dinners for the week. I ate it in 3 days.
Making it again this week, made extra to save, and I’m going to have to portion out the dinners so that i have food all week. Again, great recipe, relatively easy to make.
-
Sinlan R Morrow — July 28, 2021 @ 11:39 AM Reply
My 15 year old son saw this and we made it! We added chicken to it…It was darn delicious!
-
Antoinette C. Dickens — July 24, 2021 @ 7:15 PM Reply
I wanted to make a lobster ravioli with vodka sauce bc restaurants are inconsistent….and this was a WINNER!!!! Easy to make and full of flavor!!!
-
Steph — June 27, 2021 @ 5:59 PM Reply
This was so easy and so good! Don’t skimp on buying good crushed tomatoes, and go ahead and eat a loaf of bread to wipe up this tasty sauce… No judgment here.
-
Chloe — June 24, 2021 @ 9:54 AM Reply
Wow this is so good. I made it with gnocchi and it was fantastic.
-
Lynda Solar — May 16, 2021 @ 6:26 PM Reply
This sauce is absolutely delicious. I served over lobster filled raviolis and my husband declared it was world class.
-
Antoinette — June 26, 2021 @ 6:06 PM Reply
So happy to read your review! That’s exactly what I wanted to make-Lobster ravioli with vodka sauce. I’m excited!
-
Carol — April 27, 2021 @ 6:49 PM Reply
Followed the recipe as it is written, and it was really delicious. Thank you!!
-
Debbie - MountainMama — April 15, 2021 @ 6:24 AM Reply
I made this last night and it was EXCELLENT!! As good as any restaurant if not better! I used a whole box of rigatoni and subbed in fat free half and half for half the cream but other than that I followed this recipe to a tee. As always #damndelicious!!
-
Chelsea — April 12, 2021 @ 6:01 PM Reply
This was amazing! Isautéed pancetta in a pan with oil until crispy and added it at the end. Also added about a teaspoon of salt to the sauce while it was reducing and a bit more cream than it called for. 10 out of 10!!
-
Mindy K — March 6, 2021 @ 7:48 PM Reply
Absolutely delish!!So easy too
-
Kate Heyd — February 13, 2021 @ 3:35 PM Reply
It was damn delicious! I think the shallots I had were a little too big and I might use my immersion blender on it next time, but it was outstanding! Definitely making again! Thanks!
-
Glenn Leach — January 31, 2021 @ 6:33 PM Reply
Made for the first time tonight. Have added to my “must make” list of meatless dishes.
-
Caroline Hall — January 9, 2021 @ 1:03 AM Reply
Omg I love your recipes. But this sauce… this sauce. I DREAM about this sauce. This will forever be a favorite of mine. Thank you
-
Cecilia Martinez — December 9, 2020 @ 12:58 PM Reply
Fantastic flavor. Super easy, pour my Vodka sauce over Lobster Ravioli and hot sausage raviolis .
A must must do!!!
-
Suman — November 21, 2020 @ 10:39 AM Reply
This looks delicious! I cannot wait to try it! Thank you so much! 🙂
-
Doris Yuen — November 15, 2020 @ 6:12 PM Reply
Unbelievably delicious! I added shrimp and mushrooms. Thank you for all your great recipes.
-
Heidi A — November 5, 2020 @ 4:34 PM Reply
This was so good and got the approval of all 3 kids (I am not counting the complaints about basil leaves)!
-
Lynda Patterson — October 29, 2020 @ 1:16 PM Reply
I made this for company and it was a hit. I used cellentani pasta (kind of curly). I added some freshly steamed shrimp to the dish too. Will definitely make this again!
-
Aviral — October 1, 2020 @ 12:50 PM Reply
Just the kind of recipe I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this.
-
Janice Anderson — September 28, 2020 @ 5:07 PM Reply
Excellent flavor! I made it for the sauce for my knocci, and everyone loved it.
Thanks for the recipe.
-
Janice Anderson — September 28, 2020 @ 5:11 PM Reply
Oops – won’t let me edit my typo. Used it for my GNOCCHI. Lol
-
Amy Collins — September 28, 2020 @ 5:04 PM Reply
Quick, easy, delicious. What more could you want? Why do people even buy jar sauce when it’s this easy to make your own?
-
Frankie — September 23, 2020 @ 5:00 PM Reply
This is probably a silly question. However I cannot have alcohol. Can the Vodka be omitted or substituted?
-
Liz G — September 24, 2020 @ 11:14 PM Reply
I use pasta water instead!
-
Heather Speers — October 15, 2020 @ 4:18 PM Reply
Chungah – We are a family of 5 so ideally I’d like to make the whole 1lb box of pasta to make this go further. If I do that, do you recommend I double all of the sauce ingredients as well?? Thank you!!
-
Daniel — December 5, 2020 @ 7:26 AM Reply
You might check with your health provider. The alcohol evaporates and leaves behind the flavor.
-
Stacey — September 23, 2020 @ 11:08 AM Reply
This sauce is amazing! I highly recommend it. I made with sausage tortellini and it was a hit at home, even my 5 year old loved it. This week I’m making double batch to freeze.
-
Mark Newwood — September 15, 2020 @ 5:20 AM Reply
Wow! this is so amazing. Never tried pasta with Vodka sauce. I need to try this. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
-
Marie — September 14, 2020 @ 1:01 AM Reply
This may be a silly question but….Is tomato paste the same as tomato puree
TIA
-
Leann M Karschner — September 17, 2020 @ 8:55 PM Reply
No, they are two very different things. Paste is much more concentrated.
-
Gabby — September 12, 2020 @ 10:45 AM Reply
This was sooo good! I added some crumbled italian sausage and pancetta that needed to be used up, and subbed some non-dairy butter to compensate for the heavy cream and give my husband’s belly a break 🙂 Toddler approved and the leftovers heat up great.
-
Sam — September 7, 2020 @ 12:59 PM Reply
Just made this recipe. It was very good. Thank you for sharing!
-
Varun Sharma — September 7, 2020 @ 2:35 AM Reply
Pasta with vodka sauce is just like heaven on earth.
-
Nina Holderle — September 6, 2020 @ 6:55 AM Reply
I love these recipes and so does my family! I’ve gotten my husband to try your asian dishes and he I haven’t been able to do that in 24 years! You make is so easy to make extra-delicious food!
-
Chala — September 5, 2020 @ 6:25 PM Reply
Made this pasta. Got super wasted from all the vodka in the sauce. Good times.
-
Lisa — October 1, 2020 @ 4:30 PM Reply
LMAO youre retarded.
You must be the one at parties that sips on the same beer all night but you go around telling everyone youre wasted LOL
JK
But not really
LOL
I just cant tell if YOURE joking or not. You know the alcohol cooks off right? So like… You CANT get drunk. But you knew that. Right? LOL
-
Jake — October 22, 2020 @ 9:30 AM Reply
Why would you call someone “r*tarded” – let alone on a recipe blog? So inappropriate and gross.
Pretty obvious Chala was being sarcastic. Seems it went over your head.
-
Kaylen — November 13, 2020 @ 10:17 PM Reply
Are you okay, Lisa? I can only seem to find a reason for your gross behavior in the possibility that you have knocked back one too many… I have a tip; next time you go on a bender, stay off the internet.
-
Marie Czarnecki — September 5, 2020 @ 11:23 AM Reply
LIKE YOUR RECIPE, ANYTHING WITH VODKA IS GREAT FOR ME, WILL GIVE A GREAT TASTE!!!
Angela M — March 3, 2024 @ 8:27 AM Reply
It was too sweet.
Nancy — February 22, 2024 @ 2:48 PM Reply
Easy and delicious, I did skip using paste, still came out delicious .
Brooke — February 16, 2024 @ 2:12 PM Reply
Soooo good and incredibly easy! I only made some minor adjustments: I used whole milk instead of heavy cream, and I used half a yellow onion instead of shallots. I steamed some broccoli and added that to the pasta and sauce at the end which was a nice way to sneak in some veggies. My husband and I will be making this a weeknight staple!
Ann — October 2, 2023 @ 5:00 PM Reply
Can I make the sauce the morning of my dinner party and reheat it?
Thank you!
Jaclyn — December 29, 2022 @ 4:58 PM Reply
DELICIOUS!! Vodka sauce is one of my favorite sauces to order at restaurants but I had never made it at home. This recipe was easy to follow, and I did not stray from it except I used one really large shallot and 4 tablespoons of butter instead of 3 (more by accident). Itturned out amazing!!
Grace — December 12, 2022 @ 11:38 AM Reply
This is a new favorite at our house! It’s so easy to make and packs a ton of flavor! Would it be possible to make ahead and freeze it?
-
Catherine — February 24, 2024 @ 9:05 AM Reply
Hey! How did it freeze? I am thinking about doing the same but am not sure how the texture is when it is reheated. Thanks 🙂
Alicia Polendo — April 12, 2022 @ 9:56 AM Reply
So good! Made this last night and the recipe was easy to follow and came together perfectly. My two teenagers said the next time their friends come over for dinner I should make this again because it was so good! Woohoo! I used tomato sauce instead of paste (3x as much sauce to paste ratio) because I didn’t realize I was out of paste, yellow onion instead of shallots and canned crushed tomatoes with basil already in them instead of fresh basil because I didn’t have any and it was still soo good! Definitely adding this into the regular dinner rotation.
Tina H — March 15, 2022 @ 12:54 PM Reply
My hubby made this to serve on our Rana lobster ravioli. It was “Damn Delicious”!!! I can’t wait to make this for my 13 year old Grandson Charlie and other family members who love vodka sauce. They all will absolutely love it!
I’d rate it ten stars! Thanks Chunguh.
Lisa — January 2, 2022 @ 2:34 PM Reply
Damn Delicious Vodka Sauce……and simple too!
Paula — December 30, 2021 @ 12:45 PM Reply
Basic, tasty dish to add to your repertoire. I added half the cream and pecorino and it was pretty damn good.
Caitlyn Manglicmot — November 5, 2021 @ 3:05 PM Reply
This is literally 11/10, at this point, I don’t need to go out to eat for quality vodka sauce
Bill — October 17, 2021 @ 12:08 PM Reply
So tasty, though I did take some artistic license with the recipe to fit my tastes.
It’s pretty easy to make. I first made this last weekend, served it over some sauted mushrooms, peppers, and eggplant with some pasta thrown in. I made enough to have dinners for the week. I ate it in 3 days.
Making it again this week, made extra to save, and I’m going to have to portion out the dinners so that i have food all week. Again, great recipe, relatively easy to make.
Sinlan R Morrow — July 28, 2021 @ 11:39 AM Reply
My 15 year old son saw this and we made it! We added chicken to it…It was darn delicious!
Antoinette C. Dickens — July 24, 2021 @ 7:15 PM Reply
I wanted to make a lobster ravioli with vodka sauce bc restaurants are inconsistent….and this was a WINNER!!!! Easy to make and full of flavor!!!
Steph — June 27, 2021 @ 5:59 PM Reply
This was so easy and so good! Don’t skimp on buying good crushed tomatoes, and go ahead and eat a loaf of bread to wipe up this tasty sauce… No judgment here.
Chloe — June 24, 2021 @ 9:54 AM Reply
Wow this is so good. I made it with gnocchi and it was fantastic.
Lynda Solar — May 16, 2021 @ 6:26 PM Reply
This sauce is absolutely delicious. I served over lobster filled raviolis and my husband declared it was world class.
-
Antoinette — June 26, 2021 @ 6:06 PM Reply
So happy to read your review! That’s exactly what I wanted to make-Lobster ravioli with vodka sauce. I’m excited!
Carol — April 27, 2021 @ 6:49 PM Reply
Followed the recipe as it is written, and it was really delicious. Thank you!!
Debbie - MountainMama — April 15, 2021 @ 6:24 AM Reply
I made this last night and it was EXCELLENT!! As good as any restaurant if not better! I used a whole box of rigatoni and subbed in fat free half and half for half the cream but other than that I followed this recipe to a tee. As always #damndelicious!!
Chelsea — April 12, 2021 @ 6:01 PM Reply
This was amazing! Isautéed pancetta in a pan with oil until crispy and added it at the end. Also added about a teaspoon of salt to the sauce while it was reducing and a bit more cream than it called for. 10 out of 10!!
Mindy K — March 6, 2021 @ 7:48 PM Reply
Absolutely delish!!So easy too
Kate Heyd — February 13, 2021 @ 3:35 PM Reply
It was damn delicious! I think the shallots I had were a little too big and I might use my immersion blender on it next time, but it was outstanding! Definitely making again! Thanks!
Glenn Leach — January 31, 2021 @ 6:33 PM Reply
Made for the first time tonight. Have added to my “must make” list of meatless dishes.
Caroline Hall — January 9, 2021 @ 1:03 AM Reply
Omg I love your recipes. But this sauce… this sauce. I DREAM about this sauce. This will forever be a favorite of mine. Thank you
Cecilia Martinez — December 9, 2020 @ 12:58 PM Reply
Fantastic flavor. Super easy, pour my Vodka sauce over Lobster Ravioli and hot sausage raviolis .
A must must do!!!
Suman — November 21, 2020 @ 10:39 AM Reply
This looks delicious! I cannot wait to try it! Thank you so much! 🙂
Doris Yuen — November 15, 2020 @ 6:12 PM Reply
Unbelievably delicious! I added shrimp and mushrooms. Thank you for all your great recipes.
Heidi A — November 5, 2020 @ 4:34 PM Reply
This was so good and got the approval of all 3 kids (I am not counting the complaints about basil leaves)!
Lynda Patterson — October 29, 2020 @ 1:16 PM Reply
I made this for company and it was a hit. I used cellentani pasta (kind of curly). I added some freshly steamed shrimp to the dish too. Will definitely make this again!
Aviral — October 1, 2020 @ 12:50 PM Reply
Just the kind of recipe I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this.
Janice Anderson — September 28, 2020 @ 5:07 PM Reply
Excellent flavor! I made it for the sauce for my knocci, and everyone loved it.
Thanks for the recipe.
-
Janice Anderson — September 28, 2020 @ 5:11 PM Reply
Oops – won’t let me edit my typo. Used it for my GNOCCHI. Lol
Amy Collins — September 28, 2020 @ 5:04 PM Reply
Quick, easy, delicious. What more could you want? Why do people even buy jar sauce when it’s this easy to make your own?
Frankie — September 23, 2020 @ 5:00 PM Reply
This is probably a silly question. However I cannot have alcohol. Can the Vodka be omitted or substituted?
-
Liz G — September 24, 2020 @ 11:14 PM Reply
I use pasta water instead!
-
Heather Speers — October 15, 2020 @ 4:18 PM Reply
Chungah – We are a family of 5 so ideally I’d like to make the whole 1lb box of pasta to make this go further. If I do that, do you recommend I double all of the sauce ingredients as well?? Thank you!!
-
-
Daniel — December 5, 2020 @ 7:26 AM Reply
You might check with your health provider. The alcohol evaporates and leaves behind the flavor.
Stacey — September 23, 2020 @ 11:08 AM Reply
This sauce is amazing! I highly recommend it. I made with sausage tortellini and it was a hit at home, even my 5 year old loved it. This week I’m making double batch to freeze.
Mark Newwood — September 15, 2020 @ 5:20 AM Reply
Wow! this is so amazing. Never tried pasta with Vodka sauce. I need to try this. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Marie — September 14, 2020 @ 1:01 AM Reply
This may be a silly question but….Is tomato paste the same as tomato puree
TIA
-
Leann M Karschner — September 17, 2020 @ 8:55 PM Reply
No, they are two very different things. Paste is much more concentrated.
Gabby — September 12, 2020 @ 10:45 AM Reply
This was sooo good! I added some crumbled italian sausage and pancetta that needed to be used up, and subbed some non-dairy butter to compensate for the heavy cream and give my husband’s belly a break 🙂 Toddler approved and the leftovers heat up great.
Sam — September 7, 2020 @ 12:59 PM Reply
Just made this recipe. It was very good. Thank you for sharing!
Varun Sharma — September 7, 2020 @ 2:35 AM Reply
Pasta with vodka sauce is just like heaven on earth.
Nina Holderle — September 6, 2020 @ 6:55 AM Reply
I love these recipes and so does my family! I’ve gotten my husband to try your asian dishes and he I haven’t been able to do that in 24 years! You make is so easy to make extra-delicious food!
Chala — September 5, 2020 @ 6:25 PM Reply
Made this pasta. Got super wasted from all the vodka in the sauce. Good times.
-
Lisa — October 1, 2020 @ 4:30 PM Reply
LMAO youre retarded.
You must be the one at parties that sips on the same beer all night but you go around telling everyone youre wasted LOL
JK
But not really
LOL
I just cant tell if YOURE joking or not. You know the alcohol cooks off right? So like… You CANT get drunk. But you knew that. Right? LOL-
Jake — October 22, 2020 @ 9:30 AM Reply
Why would you call someone “r*tarded” – let alone on a recipe blog? So inappropriate and gross.
Pretty obvious Chala was being sarcastic. Seems it went over your head.
-
Kaylen — November 13, 2020 @ 10:17 PM Reply
Are you okay, Lisa? I can only seem to find a reason for your gross behavior in the possibility that you have knocked back one too many… I have a tip; next time you go on a bender, stay off the internet.
-
Marie Czarnecki — September 5, 2020 @ 11:23 AM Reply
LIKE YOUR RECIPE, ANYTHING WITH VODKA IS GREAT FOR ME, WILL GIVE A GREAT TASTE!!!
