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5 from 1 vote

Rigatoni alla Vodka

This flavorful dish is the perfect Sunday night pasta staple.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy recipes, italian recipes, rigatoni, rigatoni alla vodka, vodka sauce
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon or pancetta
  • 1 shallot sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves peeled and slightly crushed
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • ΒΌ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 1 tbs tomato paste
  • 1.5 cup tomato puree
  • 1 cup vodka
  • ~2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • Chopped basil
  • Parmigano-Reggiano
  • 8 oz pasta

Instructions

  • Brown your bacon in a pan with high sides until crispy. Remove to another plate. Pour off most of the bacon fat into another bowl.
  • Lower the heat to medium and add shallots and garlic to the same pan over. Add a drizzle of oil if needed. Let cook until shallots become soft (about 5 minutes).
  • Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and sun dried tomatoes. Let cook a few minutes and then remove the garlic cloves and toss. Add a pinch of salt, basil, red pepper flakes, the crispy bacon, and vodka. Let cook for ~5 minutes, then cover and let simmer until tomatoes soften, about 8-10 mins. When removing the lid, be careful as sometimes vodka can ignite. (If it does, just turn off the heat until it burns off.)
  • Add heavy cream and tomato puree. Stir, cover and simmer 30-40 mins. When nearly done, grate tons of Parmigiano-Reggiano into the sauce and stir. Adjust any seasonings here. I personally added a touch more salt and more red pepper flakes.
  • While that simmers cook your pasta in salted water until it's 2 minutes shy of al dente, reserving a cup of the pasta water before you drain. Add pasta water back to drained pasta, stir and dump into the simmering vodka sauce along with fresh basil. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for ~2 more minutes, or until it's creamy. Stir and enjoy!