Spicy Vodka Pasta

Ingredients for Spicy Vodka Pasta

• olive oil – Italian food shines when you use the best quality ingredients – therefore, I highly recommend using the best olive oil you can find. For me, this means extra virgin olive oil – of the three main graves of olive oil (refined, virgin, and extra virgin), extra virgin is the least processed and considered the healthiest & purest form.
• vodka – Don’t be scared of the vodka in this recipe! It will get cooked off and will NOT leave any kind of alcoholic taste. The small amount of vodka in the recipe does two main things: 1. it keeps the cream from separating, 2. it adds depth to the sauce and concentrates the flavors without adding any flavor of it’s own.
• tomato paste – This is a KEY ingredient for two reasons: 1. the tomato paste is super concentrated, which is why this pasta is so incredible flavorful, and 2. the texture of the paste makes the sauce creamier and smoother, coating the pasta in an almost velvet-y way. You won’t get that with canned tomatoes, so I don’t recommend you sub!
• pasta – I usually make this with fusilli but I love this new pasta shape called CASCATELLI! The ridges and waterfall shape are perfect for picking up as much sauce as possible. I included a photo of the packaging above in case you want to check it out!
• crushed red pepper flakes – You can adjust this to your spice preference – I always like a little kick to my food but if you don’t, use less or omit it altogether!
• butter – Good quality un-salted butter is a staple in my kitchen – my favorite brand is Kerrygold! I buy mine in bulk from Costco, as butter keeps in the freezer up to 5 months.
• parmesan cheese – As mentioned above, Italian food shines with high quality ingredients. I like to always have a wedge of high quality parmesan cheese in my refrigerator – I don’t like the pre-grated cheese because they contain preservatives to keep the shreds from clumping, and I DEFINITELY do not like the green can! I get mine from Costco.

Recipe Tips for Spicy Vodka Pasta

COOK YOUR TOMATO PASTE

• You should cook your tomato paste until the color has turned brick red – this is the most important step in making Spicy Vodka Pasta! Undercooked tomato paste will result in an inferior sauce.

PASTA WATER

• Save your pasta water! The Spicy Vodka Pasta sauce will thicken over time, especially when mixed with the pasta, so save some of the pasta water to loosen as needed and create the creamy consistency you want just before serving.

WARMED BOWLS

• This is such a small but impactful thing – serve your Spicy Vodka Pasta in warmed bowls! I always recommend this for sauces with cream or parmesan cheese, as the sauce will thicken faster when sitting in a cold bowl. How I warm up bowls is with the leftover hot pasta water (or use fresh hot water, if you don’t have enough) and then dump the water out right before serving (to keep my bowl warmed for as long as possible).

Love Pasta? Try Making:

• Cherry Tomato Pasta

If you tried this Spicy Vodka Pasta or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!