An Italian Restaurant Favorite Made Simply At Home!
If you’re looking for an elegant, hearty pasta dish, look no further than this Penne Alla Vodka recipe! You can certainly leave out the shrimp, but I love the delicate flavor it adds to the creamy vodka sauce.
Why I love this recipe
- It’s a true 30 minute meal! Making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Feels fancy! Vodka sauce is a humble pasta dish, but the addition of cream makes it luscious and velvety smooth, coating each and every noodle. The shrimp elevates it, too!
- Mostly pantry staples! Between the dried penne pasta, cans of crushed tomatoes, crushed red peppers, and a little garlic and onion, we pretty much always have all ingredients on hand. The only special addition is fresh shrimp (though certainly you can use frozen, just do NOT buy pre-cooked!). So easy to pull together!
Whatever the reason, this dish is perfect for any occasion and is sure to impress. For more restaurant-worthy pasta recipes featuring shrimp, try my spicy Cajun shrimp pasta with andouille sausage, linguine with shrimp fra diavolo, or this irresistible lemony shrimp and scallop pasta next!
Ingredients Notes
- Penne pasta, or other tubular pasta. We love the way the sauce hides inside each individual piece of penne
- Shrimp, peeled and deveined. Do not use pre-cooked shrimp, as it will be rubbery and is often overcooked.
- Kosher salt, divided, plus more for seasoning pasta water.
- Freshly ground black pepper, to season everything!
- EVOO (aka extra virgin olive oil), to cook the shrimp.
- Medium onion, diced and sautéed to make the dish more flavorful.
- Garlic, finely chopped — this adds the best flavor to the vodka sauce!
- Crushed red pepper flakes to add a little heat!
- Tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and vodka (alcohol) to make the base of the sauce.
- Pasta water, reserve for finishing the sauce. The starchy pasta water will help to thicken the vodka sauce.
- Heavy cream, adds to the richness and flavor of the sauce, giving it a smooth, creamy texture.
- Grated Parmesan, a must for this Italian classic! Freshly grated, if possible!
- Basil leaves, for serving.
You’ll also need a large pot (to boil water for the pasta) as well as a pan to make the sauce and assemble the dish. We’re using our Staub braiser.
Alternatives To Shrimp
Not a fan of shrimp? Feel free to substitute with hot Italian sausage, crispy pancetta, bacon, or chicken breasts in the sauce! You can also completely omit to make it vegetarian.
Directions
Full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, then cook until al dente. Before draining, reserve a bit of pasta water.
- Cook the shrimp. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Cook in olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, then cook until pink on each side. Cool slightly, then chop into pieces.
- Sauté onion. Add diced onion and cook until softened. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and Kosher salt.
- Make the sauce. Stir in tomato paste, then deglaze with 2 ounces of vodka. Add crushed tomatoes, cream, and chopped shrimp. Simmer for a minute, then add cooked pasta. Toss to thoroughly coat, add reserved pasta water and plenty of parmesan cheese!
- Enjoy! Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, extra grated Parmesan cheese, flaky sea salt, and fresh basil leaves, then dig in! The basil is a MUST!
You cannot begin to know how absolutely delicious this Penne Alla Vodka with shrimp is! Not a fan of tomato-based sauces? Try this light, garlicky scampi pasta with shrimp next!
Make-Ahead & Store
Make ahead! The cooked pasta will keep for up to 2 days in a refrigerator in an airtight container.
Freeze! Pasta sauces with cream tend not to freeze quite as well, so we prefer this dish fresh. However, yes, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to cool completely to room temperature, then store in an airtight freezer-safe container. To thaw, defrost overnight in a refrigerator.
To make gluten-free: Feel free to substitute with your favorite gluten-free pasta!
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite Italian recipes to round out the meal:
- Salads: arugula salad with Parmesan cheese, lemon kale Caesar salad, or this thinly sliced shredded Brussel sprouts salad.
- Vegetable Side Dishes: stuffed artichokes with sun-dried tomatoes and breadcrumbs, Sicilian cauliflower with capers and golden raisin, sautéed, charred French green beans, or this easv oven-roasted broccoli.
- Entrées: chicken Florentine with fresh baby spinach, mozzarella-stuffed baked ground beef meatballs, or this crispy chicken cutlet Milanese with fennel salad.
But honestly, there’s something so satisfying about making these classic Italian dishes at home. If you’re a shrimp lover like me, be sure to try my shrimp Parmesan recipe or this classic shrimp scampi next!
This classic Italian dish is one of my all time favorite pasta recipes, and we are so excited to share it with you!
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More Italian Recipes To Try!
How To Make Cheesy Eggplant Rollatini Tender-Baked Ground Beef & Ricotta Meatballs Classic Veal Saltimbocca with Marsala Pan Sauce Rich, Slow-Simmered Italian Bolognese with Rigatoni Comforting, Cheesy Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina The Creamiest 4-Ingredient Homemade Ricotta
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Penne alla Vodka with Shrimp (Creamy & Easy)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne
- 1 lb medium shrimp peeled and deveined, see note below
- 1¼ tsp Kosher salt, divided plus more for seasoning pasta water
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp EVOO
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 (15oz) can crushed tomatoes
- ½-¾ cup reserved pasta water
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- Fresh basil leaves for serving
- For serving: high quality extra virgin olive oil, flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, then season with a few tablespoons of Kosher salt. Add penne, stir, then cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Before draining, reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water.
- Cook the shrimp. Season the shrimp on both sides with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add shrimp and cook until they just turn pink on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Use tongs to remove shrimp to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, then chop into bite size pieces. Set aside.
- Sauté the onion. To the same skillet, add diced onion and cook 4-6 minutes over medium-high heat, until softened, stirring occasionally. Add chopped garlic, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and remaining ¼ tsp Kosher salt, then cook 1 minute more.
- Add tomatoes and vodka. Add 3 Tbsp tomato paste, then stir and cook until dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with 2oz vodka, then continue cooking about 2 minutes more.
- Finish the sauce. Pour in a 15oz can of crushed tomatoes. Add ¾ cup (180ml) of heavy cream and the chopped shrimp. Stir until well mixed. Add the cooked pasta, ½ cup of reserved pasta water, and ½ cup grated Parm, stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is luscious and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, adding remaining pasta water if you want more of a sauce.
- Garnish, then serve. Serve immediately with a drizzle of high quality extra-virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan, flaky sea salt, and lots of fresh basil!
Notes
- Shrimp: Any size shrimp works—just be sure they’re raw. Cook time will vary by size.
- Freezing: Cream-based pasta is best fresh, but can be frozen. Cool completely, then freeze airtight for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
One of my absolute favorite dishes on here! Delicious, Hubs absolutely loves it and it is super easy to make even for this cooking novice.
Another winner! This one is total comfort food. Thank you! xo, Ari
So easy and delicious! Will absolutely be making this again!
Thanks, Erin!! I need to make this again for my kiddos, stat! (And ok, for me too haha) xo, Ari
Absolutely delicious Ari! This is by far the best vodka sauce recipe I’ve tried, it will definitely be my go to from now on.
Thank you, Erika! I love this one too! And shrimp with vodka sauce is just the best ever. xo, Ari
The end result was delicious however the directions were very confusing. I found the headings to be contradictory to the cooking instructions.
Hi Amy — thanks for this feedback. I just re-read through the instructions and I’m not seeing a problem with the headings versus the instructions which follow in each step. Could you be a bit more specific about what was confusing or contradictory? Thanks! Ari