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Penne alla Vodka in the a white bowl.
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Penne alla Vodka Recipe

Penne pasta with tomatoes, cream, basil, vodka and bacon, it doesn't get much better.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword bacon, cream, dried pasta, heavy cream, italian, pasta, penne, vodka
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 604kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 5 slices bacon diced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup vodka
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 pound dried penne pasta
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 5 basil leaves rolled together and chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt

Instructions

  • In a large pan cook bacon over medium heat until browned, about 5 – 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate and set aside.
  • Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings. Add onions, garlic and crushed red pepper to reserved bacon drippings and cook until onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Pour in vodka. Cook 3 minutes. Pour in tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
  • After sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, whisk 1 tablespoon of sauce into cream to temper it. Slowly stir tempered cream into the tomato sauce. Add cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir to combine.
  • Return bacon to the pasta and stir in basil and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
  • Serve with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red peppers.

Notes

Tempering the cream with the hot tomato sauce is important because it will prevent the cream from curdling when adding to the sauce. 
To make this dish vegetarian, substitute 1 tablespoon olive oil for 1 tablespoon pan drippings. 
Nutrition information for estimation purposes only. 

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 592IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 2mg