A nice change from your typical tomato sauce! If you're worried about the alcohol, don't be! It cooks off and cannot be tasted. It simply helps to enhance the flavors.
I think a good start to any a la vodka sauce is the pancetta. I started this recipe by browning 6 slices of pancetta without any oil and adding the sausage to the drippings, then launched into everything else. I also upped the vodka quantity to 1/4 of a cup and upped the heavy cream to 3/4 of a cup. I completely omitted the salt. I used Contadina crushed tomatos with roasted garlic. The meal was definitely "restaurant quality"
Read MoreIn spite of the good reviews this recipe gets, neither DH nor I was a big fan. Maybe we just don't like vodka sauce. Had only had it once before (the jarred stuff from Trader Joe's), but still wasn't that enthralled with it from scratch. I halved the amount of EVOO; used spicy Italian sausage, so halved the red pepper flakes; also halved the salt based on other reviewers' comments, and halved the amount of pasta for just two of us (still had leftovers). Used fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, and threw in a bit of prosciutto with the sausage for some additional flavor. Served with shredded parmesan and whole wheat sourdough rolls. Thanks for sharing your recipe, Star!
Read MoreI think a good start to any a la vodka sauce is the pancetta. I started this recipe by browning 6 slices of pancetta without any oil and adding the sausage to the drippings, then launched into everything else. I also upped the vodka quantity to 1/4 of a cup and upped the heavy cream to 3/4 of a cup. I completely omitted the salt. I used Contadina crushed tomatos with roasted garlic. The meal was definitely "restaurant quality"
This recipe is top-notch and would rival any Penne a la Vodka that you'd order in an Italian restaurant. I prepared it almost to the letter, and it was perfect. I have also tried this a different way by making it a lowfat dish. I substituted turkey sausage, and instead of heavy cream, I used half and half blended with 1 tsp. of corn starch. It was a fantastic lower fat variation and tasted just as good as the original.
I changed this recipe. 3 tablespoons of white wine instead of vodka, added spinach, tomato sauce and extra red pepper flakes, simmered the sauce 30 minutes and melted parmesean and feta cheese. made for a large group. got rave reviews, tasted just like penne rosa from noodles and company!
I frequently do a sausage pasta with a fresh sauce but never occurred to me to do a vodka cream version. Great! My only alteration is in the pasta choice. Pardon, but I am a particular snob in this area. For a sauce like this one with roll-away chunks, a more appropriate pasta choice is one that snuggles the sauce - in this case I go for an egg noodle or at least the widest fettuccine you can find. Tubed pasta work better on thinner sauces that need a little traveling compartment.
This was good although I have had better sauces but I must say I liked the addition of the sausage. It actually tasted better the next day. I would make it again. The ony thing is I reduced the oil and the salt I felt the amounts given were high.
All the signs of greatness: Tastes really good, is fast and easy, and also pretty darn inexpensive! I went a little easy on the crushed red pepper (it was still nice and spicy), and topped each serving with a little shredded fresh Romano. SERIOUS YUM, especially with a glass of red wine...
I browned the sausage separately and then added it to the sauce. For the sauce I sauteed some onion, used 1/4 c. of vodka, 1 c. of whipping cream, and added some fresh basil. Overall, I think the sauce is better without the sausage.
My family loved this. I thought it was very similar to Bowties w/Sausage, Tomatoes & Cream (also on this site) and may consider using that recipe as my base vodka sauce. I followed the directions pretty accurately with only a few minor changes. I put literally a drop of EVOO into the pan and browned my sausage whole. I think 2 links crumbled as written would have been lost in the sauce. I drained the oil and fat from the pan reserving about 1-1/2 Tbsp. in the pan for flavor. I cut down to 1/2 the amount of red pepper to make it more kid-friendly. I also cut back dramatically on the parsley. As I was chopping it I realized that it was a lot so I sprinkled it little by little until I got the flavor I wanted. I ended up using a little over a tbsp I would guess. My only other change was to use a little over a half pound of a variety of pastas.(finished up the boxes) I served it with grated parm and think that next time I may add it to the sauce during cooking for a much better flavor. The flavor of the dish was good but I definitely recommend increasing the vodka A LOT! You could barely taste it. Also I think I prefer my vodka sauce a bit more creamier than tomato-ey so next time I will definitely add more cream to the dish as well. Overall this was a very delicious dish and was loved by my whole family. My 22 month old went back for thirds!! It does make a lot of sauce so be prepared for extra...perfect for dipping garlic bread into. Thank you Star!
This was wonderful and so quick and easy!! I did drain the sausage and also added the cream after bringing the vodka to a boil (wasn't sure about cream boiling and curdling). I only had hot italian sausage on hand, and it was great - next time I'll try the sweet! This was very similiar to 'Rigatoni ala vodka' my husband and I used to order at a local restaurant - also good with the addition of chicken breast cooked in the sausage grease (sounds weird but tastes great). Thanks for the recipe!!
In spite of the good reviews this recipe gets, neither DH nor I was a big fan. Maybe we just don't like vodka sauce. Had only had it once before (the jarred stuff from Trader Joe's), but still wasn't that enthralled with it from scratch. I halved the amount of EVOO; used spicy Italian sausage, so halved the red pepper flakes; also halved the salt based on other reviewers' comments, and halved the amount of pasta for just two of us (still had leftovers). Used fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, and threw in a bit of prosciutto with the sausage for some additional flavor. Served with shredded parmesan and whole wheat sourdough rolls. Thanks for sharing your recipe, Star!
So easy and very tasty, this is easier to make than my usual spaghetti sauce. Loved it and my family loved it! This is a keeper! I made it exactly as stated minus the parsley.
Very good for never having made it before. Extraneous comment: I don't know how people can rate a recipe, after changing it so much it's not the same recipe. Especially giving it a poor rating. Make the recipe as stated, THEN rate it. Much better for the rest of us who rely on accurate ratings.
I've made this a few times now... My husband and I LOVE it. Made it exactly as written a few times, but lately I've modified it slighty. I now add tsp of Basil and 1/8 cup of sugar... just to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce. I've started using 1/2 and 1/2 cream. Tastes wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing!
The flavor of this sauce was outstanding. We bought some high quality vodka, and that made quite a difference. Also, we were happy to find the mini "airline" versions of the vodka so we could get good quality without spending a ton. There are a couple things I would change next time I make the sauce, though: 1. I would use more sausage. We couldn't even tell it was in there. And 2. Use tomato sauce instead of the diced tomatoes to make the sauce a little thicker, it was really thin, and for a creamier texture. But, delicious nonetheless, and we look forward to making this recipe again!
Delish! I used 1/4 C non-fat milk and 1 T low fat cream cheese instead of the cream, and it still tasted great, and cut the calories/fat down significantly.
Yum, yum yum! I added a bit of dried oregano and rosemary, used just a sprinkle of salt, left the sausage whole (for those who didn't want any). I simmered the dish with 1/4 cup of vodka for a good 30 minutes. Added a generous splash more with the cream in step 4. This one's going into my tried & true file. Thanks, Star Pooley!
Absolutely delicious. Rave reviews, and it tastes just like what you'd get at a restaurant. Thank you!
If I could give this recipe more than 5 stars I would it is the BEST! Every time I make this every one is raving and asking for the recipe. A few tricks of the trade, use a whole pound of ground sausage (spicy ot mild to taste), 6 cloves FRESH garlic, a whole cup of whipping cream, 1/3 cup vodka, and use Delmonte 4 cheese sauce (usually 99cents in a can) AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Try it out you will not be dissapointed.
Very Good! I also reduced the oil and salt and just noticed that another person did the same thing.
Easy, flavorful and restaurant-quality. Basic assembly but not so basic taste! Easy add in to the weekly menu. Followed instructions exactly with the exception of subbing chicken sausage for Italian sausage to save some cal/fat grams. Was awesome for food-lover and picky-eaters alike.
This recipe was exceptionally easy, and incredibly delicious. Rather than use italian sausage, I opted to brown boneless pork chops in 2 tbsp butter/ dash of olive oil, and allowed them to braise in the tomato sauce for approx 2 hours before I added the vodka and cream. I know it sounds a little odd, but there is nothing better than a fork tender pork chop with spaghetti! I also added additional garlic, onions, shredded parm cheese, and fresh basil right before serving. 5 stars!
Love this! have made it several times - as written and with spicy sausage instead of sweet. Huge hit w/my family. Thanks for sharing
This sauce was as good if not better than some I have had in restaurants. I didn't even remove the sausage from the casing..just cut it up into small discs and browned it.
This sauce is so good!! I used turkey sausage the second time I made it, just to make it a little healthier, and you couldn't tell the difference!
This was awesome, everyone loved it, even better the next day. The only thing I would do away with was the amount of oil to cook the sausage, made it a little to greasy for me, but really good taste
Very delicious. The sauce is to die for. Try it once and you will be making it over and over. It has a restaurant quality.
This was excellant. I was surprised with the flavor of the sauce considering the short cooking time. With the exception of using ff cream I made the recipe exactly as written.
I love this recipe. I always use more than 2 links of sausage (for 8 servings... 2 seems like way too small of an amlount!) and use hot italian sausage and then just leave out the red pepper flakes. Otherwise I do not change a thing. It is one of my favorite quick and easy recipes and it really impresses people!
I have made this MANY times, and I'm convinced this has to be the BEST Penne alla Vodka recipe on this site. I tried another tonight and it didn't compare.
Best meal I've made yet! My boyfriend and his brother loved it and finished the leftovers the next day. The amount of olive oil does seem like it's going to be too much, but once you add the cream it all comes together perfectly so don't stress if it looks like there's going to be too much oil
This was a terrific recipe that I pretty much followed to the letter except that I had sweet Italian turkey sausage and used that. The bonus was that it was probably a little lower in fat. Wonderful flavor and the vodka gave it a very subtle boost in flavor.
1/20/12-Used 1lb of ground meat, put in basil and italian seasoning....increased vodka to 1/2c and cream to 1 1/2c.....added parmesan cheese, oregano, onion powder....might try can of tom sauce next time and fettuccine noodles and really only need to use 1/2 box of penne
This is very close to the recipe I use.I had vodka penne at a restaurant a few years ago and it was superior to any I'd had before.Really delicious.Fortunately I knew the chef and asked him what the taste was that I couldn't identify.As odd as this sounds,he dices Canadian bacon very small(about 4 oz.)You cook it in a small amt.olive oil until very brown and then proceed with the recipe as written.No other meat needed.For me,I also run the crushed tomatoes thru the food processor as I like the sauce smooth but that's individual preference.When some friends of mine come for dinner they always ask me to make this.
Yumminess. Used a combination of whole wheat and "regular" pasta. Omitted the parsley, crushed red pappers and used a little less salt (1/2 tsp). Used sweet Italian sausage (not in links). Even though I made quite a few changes, it was still fantastic. Would definitely make again.
Really good! Sauteed some minced onion with the garlic and then added sausage and cooked for 5-10 minutes on medium to med-high. Then added tomato paste and rest of ingredients. (Did not have crushed tomatoes so used a can of tomato paste.) Added a tiny bit more vodka and also used half and half instead of heavy whipping cream. Added extra butter to make up for this. Used two links of polish sausage, decased and chopped up. Used dried parsley instead. Yum!
I discovered this dish on this site about 20 years ago, THANK YOU STAR! I have often been tempted to add more sausage but have thus far resisted, in my opinion there is plenty in the dish. I have never strayed from script, Star has aced this one in my humble opinion, no changes needed or required, again, my opinion. I have reviewed the recipe a number of times. The reason I do is to try and stress, FOLLOW HER RECIPE, then review it, and make changes if you think you need to. The purpose of the reviews here is to try the recipe as written, then review. Don't tweak it your way and then review. You would be self reviewing your recipe then, and I for one am not interested. Try it, you'll like it!
This was an ok-sauce. It lacked a lot in the flavour department. I think next time I'll use more vodka and doctor it up a bit with more spices.
This was just kind of "there." It was missing something, I felt. It needed some sweetness to it.
Great! Liked the sauce a ton!! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Next time I will double the sauce! I also used fetticini, as another user suggested, other than that followed to a "T"!
My family mmm's and aww's every time I make this now. It is fantastic! I double the meat and its perfect. YUM YUM YUM
This is awesome... here is the low down on what I changed as per other people's reviews: 3/4 c. whipping cream, 1/2 c. vodka, added chopped red & yellow bell pepper, used double the amount of sausage and added sliced chicken breast. My husband and his 2 friends ate almost the whole pan....if you want to impress...make this dish - mahalo Star!!
My husband loved this dinner and could not stop talking about how delicious it tasted. I used 1/3 cup of Gray Goose Vodka, 1 cup of heavy whipping cream.hot Italian sausage,orange pepper(do not use green) and a package of sliced mushrooms, than the garlic... cooked in olive oil and added to the sausage. I made a salad and had crusty bread a bottle of red wine.
Amazing!!! I was making this and my husband kept coming into the kitchen to tell me how good it smelt. He loved eating it too! It's a regular dish at our house now. thanks for the awesome recipe!
FABULOUS RECIPE!!!!! Made this last night and became a huge family hit. The smell in the kitchen from each added ingredient was unbelievable. Will definitely be making this again! Thank you for the recipe!!! :]
This was really delicious. The sausage really added a punch. Use as spicy of an Italian sausage as you can handle to add to it even more! I had no vodka on hand and made it without, and it was great anyway. Added about a tablespoon of sugar to get rid of some of the tartness of the tomato. The penne will absorb all of the sauce, so don't mix the two if you're planning on keeping this for leftovers.
FANTASTIC! The flavor was great and the vodka wasn't too strong. I added some garlic powder and oregano to give it a little more spice and also added a few red and green bell peppers. I would suggest adding slightly more sausage than the recipe calls for if you like meat. Thanks for the great recipe ~ my family absolutely LOVED it!! :)
Great recipe!! I did however make a few changes, I used fettuccine, 8 cloves of garlic, 3/4tps of red pepper flakes, 5Tbs of vodka,1/3 cup of parsley and 1Lb. of hot Italian sausage. Obviously I like intense flavors and this recipe delivered!
Amazing recipe. I add a bit of red pepper flakes to add some heat as well as chicken. Tastes delicious every time.
Pretty sure I did everything wrong and that's why this sucked for me, so if you're trying to make this recipe vegetarian, DON'T. Since I wasn't using sausage, I added red pepper and garlic to the crushed tomatoes. WRONG. Didn't have vodka either, and I hate the taste anyway (why was I attracted to this recipe?) so I figured I'd just leave it out. Added the cream and the parsley (not fresh) and this was bland bland bland. Ended up adding massive amounts of Parmesan (that helped a lot) and adding the sausage in the end, but I'd screwed it up too much by that point for it to be salvaged.
Always a crowd pleaser. This is my never fail recipe. I don't change a thing.
I love vodka sauce but had never made it before, so I gave it 4 stars. But it is a very simple sauce to make and can be made as is. I hate to read a recipe and see 10 billion remakes of it, so I won't do that. The only little bity changes I made was dried parsley instead of fresh (even easier) and little dried basil as well. This is an easy weeknight meal.
Made this recipe with two changes and it was GREAT! My boyfriend LOVED it especially the sausage, however I'm sure it would be fantastic without the changes. I put a total of 1lb of ground sausage and added basil, per another reviewers recommendation, it looked and tasted great. Next time, because I'm a garlic lover, I will add more garlic. I recommend this meal for pot luck or group gathering, makes a ton and was quick.
We enjoyed this recipe, but it was a bit oily and I only used about half the specified amount of olive oil. I would make this again as the flavor is good, but I would only use a tablespoon of olive oil.
This was excellent! I'd reduce the salt slightly for the next time that I make this. However, it was really good. Highly recommend that you try this!
Great pasta dish. The sauce sort of tasted like a Beef Stroganoff Sauce. I used 1/2 Cup of Vodka and 3/4 Cup of Cream on my first try (As others suggested). If you have kids you might want to stay with the original amount of vodka because, although most did burn off, my friends and I still felt some of the effects afterwards (Maybe let it boil longer?). Also, I like spicy food and using the spicy sausage seemed to make it EXTRA spicy. If you like REALLY spicy food then go for it, otherwise I'd stay w/plain or sweet (as the recipe states, possibly try out the plain/sweet sausage first time and if it is not spicy enough use spicy sausage the next). It was overall easy to make for this is my fifth recipe I have actually cooked (college student) and it came out alright! So as the cliché states, "If I can do it you can do it!" Have fun!
This is an awesome recipe! You MUST simmer sauce once vodka (added 1/2 cup) has been added (30 minutes). Also, put sauce in the blender...this thickens the sauce.
Update: I've been making this regularly for 6 years! Still an easy, delicious dish! Awesome, restaurant quality pasta dish! I have made it twice. First time as per recipe: husband and I loved it, but too spicy for kids aged 2,4 & 7. Made it a second time, and used only 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, and used a full pound of Italian seasoned turkey sausage, and an extra can of tomatoes. Kids liked it the second time. I will absolutely make this again!
What's really nice for me about this recipe is that you can substitute real sausage for Morning Star vegetarian sausage. I halved the recipe and still used a bit less oil and red pepper than suggested but the whole can of tomatoes. Don't worry about the cream curdling, it does fine. Tasted great but I can see using half and half instead of heavy cream to make it healthier. Whole wheat pasta would probably work too. Thanks for the recipe!
Excellent recipe! Super easy, I made double for a party and there was plenty! I used chicken instead of sausage, left out the red pepper flakes, turned out fantastic! Really easy and very good!
This was great!! I don't eat meat, so I skipped the sausage and made everything else as directed. It was just a tad spicy and the cream added a nice richness. Next time I will add a bit more crushed red pepper, just cause I like my food spicy. Great with pasta or over chicken, and super easy.
OMG....AMAZING! Used turkey sausage instead of italian sausage, subbed 1 can of tomato paste + 2 cans water for the crushed tomatoes, and subbed butter/milk for the whipping cream. Still came out FABULOUS! The fiance was raving about it all night! We both loved the spiciness from the red pepper flakes - I'd added in about 3/4 tsp for a little extra kick. Also added a bit of basil, garlic powder, and smidge of dried parsley vs fresh. Would recommend this to ANYONE!
This was really good, but I made a few changes to use what I had available. I used fresh basil rather than parsley, grilled chicken breast rather than sausage, and I sauteed some cherry tomatoes to add a fresher taste. Used penne rigati to soak up the sauce, and topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. This will stay in my rotation!!
Love this recipe! Quick & easy to make. I've made it with ground beef instead of sausage and it's just as wonderful. My boyfriend has decided this is his favorite dish, and says he has a foodgasm every time he eats it!
This was very good, my husband liked it alot too. Would definitely make again. Thank you!
This has become a favorite in my family. Recently made it for a dinner with 10 guests, and it got rave reviews. I've made this several times now, and for our tastes I double the vodka and cream and a pinch extra red pepper flakes. I've used penne and spiral pasta, and prefer the spiral. For those who think it's a bit dry, I think that 1 pound of pasta is too much. Try 3/4 pound for a better balance. Thanks for the recipe, Star!
This is my favorite dinner!!! I use hot sausage because I like spicy. I use whole wheat pasta and turkey sausage to lower calories. I also add an extra link or two to the sauce. It even tastes delicious without vodka. Thanks for a WONDERFUL recipe!
This recipe was fantastic. I made a couple of changes per the previous viewers. I doubled the recipe for the sauce and I added 1/3 cup vodka versus the 2 tablespoons. I also added some romano cheese to the sauce to thicken it up a bit. I also think this sauce would be good with sauteed mushrooms added in. I will definitely make this one again.
Delicious, Simple, and Easy! Definitely a keeper. I suggest making the sauce first, then boiling the noodles while the sauce simmers. Also, it's easier just to buy ground italian sausage than get links and take the sausage out of the links.
This was delicious! It was even better the second day. I mistakenly bought hot sausage - I will try the sweet sausage next time - however, the hot sausage in it was delicious!
Hubby really liked this so will give it good rating but I was not so keen. It was okay but nothing special in my opinion with just a tad too much tomato flavor. Made it exactly as directed.
I didn't have any vodka (I'm 6 months preggo) and I omitted the red pepper (I also have a 4 y/o) and this was still amazing! Followed the rest of the recipe to a tee. Thanks so much for sharing. This one is a keeper, for sure!
Very tasty. My one caution is the excessive salt. The canned tomatoes have plenty of salt in them to start with, so just add more later if needed. And it is very spicy, I'll cut the spice by half next time. I added 1 TB. of olive oil to help brown the sausage and then I drained off the grease. Thanks for a great recipe. I give it 4 stars only because it needs an adjustment with the salt and oil.
Loved the sauce! Made this sauce as written other than the red pepper flakes...used 1/8 tsp of hot sauce instead. Served it over chicken instead of sausage. My 3 fussy kids (2, 4 & 5) gobbled it up! Hubby loved it. Was great with a nice glass of pino grigio. 2nd try: added some Kraft Philedelphia Herb & Garlic cream cheese melted on top of the chicken...to die for with this sauce!
This was really fresh and yummy. I added about half a bag of baby spinach to the sausage and allowed to wilt down to sneak in some veggies. Turned out fantastic!
Believe it or not, this recipe is much better if the vodka is not cooked off. Try tossing 2 tbsp each of vodka and heavy cream with pasta immediately before serving.
This is restuarant quality for sure! Was a little too salty but overall was excellent. Everybody loved it!!
Delicious. I will definitely be making this again. It might be good to drain the sausage fat before adding the garlic.
Excellent recipe. I used spicy Italian sausage that was ground up (not in casing) and added extra garlic and red pepper flakes. I also used half and half and it was just as good and lower fat than heavy cream. I'll make it again and again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Fabulous! I took the advice of a few other reviewers and used almost a cup of cream and about 1/4 cup vodka. I used 12 oz penne instead of a pound, and I'm glad because I don't think there would have been enough sauce with a whole pound. Regardless, this is a knock 'em dead kind of recipe. I will be making it next time I have company. It's just a shame I was eating alone tonight!
This is a great, simple pasta dish. I made some adjustments due to what I had in the fridge, but the basis of this recipe is exceptional.
We liked this one. My wife said next time I should double the amount of Italian sausage since 1 lb of pasta is a lot to cover for less than .5 pounds of the sausage. But it still tasted great.
I loved this recipe. It was really easy (especially when I cook after getting off from work). I didn't use any red pepper flakes because I did not have any and my boyfriend doesn't really like spicy food anyway. The only other thing I did was cut back on the oil and salt (i didn't think all of it was necessary) and added more vodka than it was called for. This was just great. It was even better tasting the next day. Even my boyfriend liked it and he's EXTREMELY picky with what he eats. I will definitely make this again.
This was wonderful. What I love is that we generaly have 90% of these ingredients on hand, we just needed to buy the whipping cream, and the recipe doesn't even need the sausage if you don't have any (although i'm sure it's terrific with it). My husband was craving a dish from one of our favorite restaurants, and this was almost a perfect match. This might be the first thing he's cooked on his own and it turned out great...so who knows, maybe he'll surprise me more often!! Thanks for the recipe, will be a keeper in my house.
My husband, who normally complains when I serve the regular old pasta with red sauce, loved this recipe, and he ate the leftovers!
This is such a fantastic recipe! Each time I make it, I get rave reviews and everyone asks for the recipe. The changes I make to this are: double Everything except the pasta (I like to make this and freeze it for quick meals, and the pasta absorbs the sauce)... Extra garlic, I throw in some oregano, and cut back the salt. I also throw in a little mozz and parm cheese at the end! :)
I made this last night to go over my homemade ravioli and it was a HUGE hit. I only added half the pepper flakes as I was afraid of it being to spicey but next time will either had the entire amount or use Pepper vodka. This will be a staple sauce in our house!
This was great, didn't change the recipe much at all. Just added some fresh chopped spinach and a little squash to the sauce and it came out great. Used a 1/4 cup vodka too per someone else's request. Someone mentioned it was too much salt, that may be if the sausage you use is salty, so adjust the salt accordingly.
