Spicy Vodka Rigatoni - Easy Recipe Made in Under 30 Minutes (2024)

FAQs

What does vodka do to vodka pasta? ›

In a vodka sauce, the vodka helps maintain a cohesive texture, allowing the creaminess to meld with the tomato base. And sure, you could use wine to the same effect, but in a sauce as rich as vodka sauce, it's better to use a small amount of alcohol that will impart as little of its own flavor as possible.

In large skillet, heat Vodka Sauce, stirring occasionally, until simmering, about 3 – 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water over medium heat, according to package directions. Drain and transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine.

If the sauce isn't as thick as you would like, you can thicken the sauce by adding a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch, arrowroot flour, or tapioca starch. To make the thickener, mix the thickening agent with a little bit of water or broth and then stir it into the pasta!

The general consensus was that a vodka pasta sauce should be safe for children, if cooked thoroughly. "Traditional vodka sauce uses such a small amount of alcohol that it should evaporate out during cooking," Dr. Rachel Prete, pediatrician with Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, told POPSUGAR.

No, you can't get drunk off vodka sauce

As the sauce simmers, some of the alcohol in the spirit evaporates, according to Popsugar. The longer the sauce cooks, the more alcohol will burn off. A well-cooked vodka sauce is safe for even children to eat — that's how negligible the alcohol content ends up being.

Adding the vodka to the sauce when there are only a handful of minutes left of cooking time ensures the sauce is neither overly boozy nor absent of the flavor-enhancing effects of the vodka.

TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover penne vodka in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days. TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat, splashing in broth, milk, or water as needed to loosen the sauce. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave.

This means that undiluted alcohol overpowers natural flavors, but smaller traces (typically achieved by "burning off" the vodka) actually release new flavors. So it's not that vodka adds flavor, it's that vodka unlocks flavors already hidden in the tomato.

Vodka does alter the flavor of the sauce in a pleasing way. It adds a touch of heat and a bit of a sharp bite that help balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the cream. Is it absolutely necessary? No, but vodka sauce just wouldn't be, well, vodka sauce without it.

Is vodka sauce a mix of marinara sauce and alfredo? No. Alfredo sauce mixed with marinara sauce is known as pink sauce. While pink sauce and vodka sauce are both types of tomato sauce, they are not the same thing.

What can I add to my vodka sauce? ›

Variations For This Vodka Sauce Pasta Sauce

Instead of prosciutto, pancetta, or bacon, try adding in another meat such as ground beef, ground pork, Italian sausage, or even add shredded chicken afterwards!

The best side dishes to serve with penne alla vodka are crispy green beans, caprese salad, stuffed mushrooms, chicken nuggets, ratatouille, kale chips, brussels sprouts with bacon, crispy garlic bread, Italian antipasto salad, grilled chicken, roasted asparagus, shrimp scampi, and Italian stuffed peppers.

Well, it's really the sauce that's laced with vodka. A creamy, silky tomato sauce. Penne is classic for Pasta alla Vodka because it really holds on to the sauce.

If you're looking to make a creamy vodka spaghetti sauce, we highly recommend adding some Italian sausage or ground beef to the equation. The resulting dish is a deliciously meaty sauce perfect on its own or added to pasta of your choosing.

Wine works, too, but a clean-tasting vodka has mostly water and ethanol (a solvent), which is excellent at carrying aromatic compounds — like those in tomatoes. In other words, the vodka in this dish can help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce's flavors in a heightened way.

The vodka helps with the texture of the sauce; it cooks out so you won't taste its flavor.

And yes, the vodka really does matter here. We know, because we've done the tests before. Several years ago, Kenji delved into the matter of whether vodka sauce really needed the vodka, and the answer was an unequivocal yes (though the sauce is delicious without it, too).

So the idea is not to add a distinct vodka flavor — since vodka's taste is subtle to flavorless — but to elevate flavors of the other ingredients like the cream, garlic, basil, and tomatoes. Essentially, vodka is an aroma enhancer and sort of works like monosodium glutamate, a flavor compound tomatoes naturally carry.