How to Make Easy (and Advanced) Vodka Sauce | Basics with Babish

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: coconut cream

💰Cheaper: milk

Coconut cream is lower in calories, while milk is more budget-friendly.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated cheese blend

Nutritional yeast is lower in fat, while a cheese blend can be more economical.

Bring a wide shallow pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

Finely dice half an average sized onion and peel two cloves of garlic.

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan until shimmering.

Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent.

Crush in the 2 cloves of garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and 3 ounces of tomato paste, cooking for about 2 minutes until the tomato paste darkens in color.

Lower the heat and add 3 ounces of heavy cream and 1 ounce of vodka, stirring together and cooking for no more than 1 minute to prevent the alcohol from cooking off.

Once the pasta is about a minute shy of your preferred doneness, transfer it directly into the sauté pan to finish cooking in the sauce.

Adjust the heat as necessary and add reserved pasta cooking water, a quarter cup at a time, to make the sauce smooth and glossy, cooking for no more than another minute.

Kill the heat and immediately add 1 ounce of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, stirring off the heat and adjusting the thickness with pasta water if necessary.

Plate the pasta and optionally top with extra grated Parmesan.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens