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    March 27, 2024

    Easy Vodka Sauce

    Pancetta, parmesan, vodka and heavy cream make our easy vodka sauce more than a little better than regular old tomato sauce.

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    a bowl of pasta tossed with easy vodka sauce sprinkled with red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and fresh basil

    Our Easy Vodka Sauce Recipe

    Vodka sauce. You’ve probably heard of it, maybe you’ve ordered it in a restaurant, or bought it in a jar. But, you haven’t really had vodka sauce (sometimes called pink sauce) until you’ve tried our homemade vodka sauce. Nothing compares to the rich, creamy sauce that our vodka sauce recipe yields, and it’s pretty fast, too. For a creamy, tomato-y vegetarian pasta sauce, try our Lemony Calabrian Chili Pasta or easy Three-Ingredient Tomato Sauce. Or, if you need pasta ideas beyond Baked Penne Alla Vodka, our massive Pasta Round Up has you covered.

    olive oil, onion, pancetta, garlic, vodka, tomatoes, salt, cream, parmesan, red pepper flakes and basil in prep bowls

    Easy Vodka Sauce Ingredients

    • Extra-virgin olive oil

    • Yellow onion

    • Pancetta. Pancetta is bacon’s Italian cousin; both are pork belly, but pancetta is cured and bacon is smoked. Pancetta may be slightly harder to find than bacon, try asking for it at your local meat counter. If you can’t find it, use bacon.

    • Garlic

    • Vodka

    • Canned tomatoes

    • Salt

    • Heavy cream

    • Parmesan cheese

    diced pancetta being fried in a pot
    onion, pancetta, vodka, garlic, tomatoes and salt cooking in a pot to make easy vodka sauce
    parmesan cheese being added to a pot with onion, pancetta, vodka garlic, tomatoes, salt, and heavy cream
    a pot of homemade vodka sauce made with onion, pancetta, vodka, garlic, tomatoes, salt, cream and Parmesan

    How To Make Vodka Sauce

    1. Prep! Cut the pancetta (easier to do if it’s very cold) with a sharp knife and grate the Parmesan with a microplane grater.

    2. Brown the onions and pancetta (or bacon, in a pinch!) in a large saucepan. When the pancetta is crispy, add a little garlic. OK, actually, we want you to add a lot of garlic.

    3. Booze time! Pour in the vodka and tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you go. Now that the vodka’s open, maybe it’s time to mix up a martini?

    4. Simmer! Now that you’ve got the vodka pasta sauce going and that martini stirred, go take a load off. You’ve got 30 minutes to chill.

    5. Finish the sauce with a bunch of Parm, heavy cream, and salt to taste. Toss it with the pasta of your choice, and dig in.

    a pot of homemade vodka sauce made with onion, pancetta, vodka garlic, tomatoes, salt, cream and Parmesan
    a pot of homemade vodka sauce made with onion, pancetta, vodka, garlic, tomatoes, salt, cream and Parmesan
    pasta being tossed with homemade easy vodka sauce in a large pot
    a bowl of pasta tossed with easy vodka sauce sprinkled with red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and fresh basil

    How To Store Vodka Sauce + Tips

    • Families with kids may be curious if the vodka cooks out as the sauce simmers. Exactly how alcoholic your vodka sauce is will depend on the proof of your vodka as well as how long you simmer your sauce for but generally vodka sauce is considered to be safe for kids.

    • Leftover vodka sauce will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

    • We don’t recommend freezing this vodka sauce because of the pancetta, cheese and cream.

    • Pasta with vodka sauce is one of the best, simplest meals ever, and any pasta shape your family loves will work fine. We especially love using small, tubular shapes like penne and rigatoni.

    a bowl of pasta tossed with easy vodka sauce sprinkled with red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and fresh basil

    More Classic Pasta Sauce Recipes

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    Easy Vodka Sauce

    Updated on March 27, 2024

    • Serves: 12
    • Prep Time:  10 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories: 242
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    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
    • 4 ounces pancetta, diced
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • ½ cup vodka
    • 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¾ cup heavy cream
    • 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
    • 1 pound cooked pasta, for serving
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
    • Thinly sliced fresh basil, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and pancetta and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened and the pancetta is crispy, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.

      diced pancetta being fried in a pot

    2. Add the vodka, tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes a bit with your hands as you add them to the pot. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked down.

      onion, pancetta, vodka, garlic, tomatoes and salt cooking in a pot to make easy vodka sauce

    3. Stir in the salt, heavy cream, and the Parmesan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes, or until thickened.

      parmesan cheese being added to a pot with onion, pancetta, vodka garlic, tomatoes, salt, and heavy cream

    4. Serve over the pasta and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, Parmesan, and basil.

      a pot of homemade vodka sauce made with onion, pancetta, vodka, garlic, tomatoes, salt, cream and Parmesan

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories242
    • Protein10 g
    • Carbohydrates25 g
    • Total Fat12 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol11 mg
    • sodium277 mg
    • Total Sugars2 g

    Easy Vodka Sauce

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Sarah

      The flavor was wonderful and we enjoyed it. But I had a problem with the parmesan cheese melting, it got really stringy. Any thoughts?

      Always use freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I'm guessing you might've used the pre shredded kind which has additional ingredients. If you used freshly grated, then I'm not sure what happened.

    • Beatrice

      Can you use half’s and half

      We haven't tried it but it should be ok!

    • Cathy

      This was delicious! I didn’t include the pancetta (I didn’t have any) but it was awesome without it. I added some sautéed chicken for a protein. Will absolutely make this again. Thank you!

      Thanks Cathy, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Michelle

      I have made this vodka sauce before and it was a huge hit. Can I double the recipe to make more? Thanks!

      Thanks Michelle, so happy you love it! Yes, feel free to double!

    • Katie

      Made this for my Boyfriend and I on a little date night. I made it with a fried chicken and cheese topping and let me just tell you, per my boyfriend it was a "Wife Dish" lol! Thank you lol especially for the Martini Idea! ;D

      Amazing!

    • Anjali

      Wow this was so good! I used turkey bacon, fire roasted crushed tomatoes, and extra garlic! Next time I'll use less cream though, I felt so full so fast but kept wanting to eat and couldn't so that was sad.

      This is wonderful news! We hope you make it again soon!