Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka (Spicy Vodka Sauce)

Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka (Spicy Vodka Sauce)

This spicy vodka sauce is so smooth and ultra creamy with salty bits of crispy pancetta. It is a deeply flavored, rich, and decadent pasta sauce that goes so well with rigatoni pasta. Top with fresh basil and a good glass of Italian wine, like Sangiovese, and you have the perfect date night dinner.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian-American

Keyword dinner, dinner party, family dinner, pasta, pasta sauce, sunday dinner

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 495kcal

Author Lauren LeBlanc

Equipment

food processor, blender, or immersion blender
large heavy pot or dutch oven
cheese grater

Ingredients

4 ounces Pancetta diced into ½ Inch pieces
2 Shallots diced
¼-1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (optional for spiciness)
4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic minced
6 ounces Tomato Paste
⅓ cup Vodka
14.5 ounces Diced Tomatoes (1 regular sized can)
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-4 ounces Parmesan cheese freshly grated
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Basil chiffonade (thinly sliced)
1 pound Rigatoni Pasta or pasta of your choice

Instructions

CRISP: Heat a large pot, dutch oven, or sauce pan over medium heat. When hot, add pancetta and cook about 5 minutes or until crispy, stirring occasionally. Transfer crispy pancetta to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Chop further if needed. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot.
CARAMELIZE: Add shallots and red pepper flakes to pancetta fat and cook while stirring frequently until shallots are translucent and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook while stirring for about 1 more minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add in tomato paste and cook while stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to darken and caramelize.
DEGLAZE: Deglaze the pan with vodka, and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes allowing alcohol to burn off.
SIMMER: Add in diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and mix to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
BLEND: *Blend sauce in the pot if using an immersion blender, or allow to cool slightly and transfer the sauce to the blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.*
PASTA: Now is a good time to boil your pasta to al dente.
FINISH: Return sauce back to the pot on low heat. Slowly stir in the heavy cream and mix to combine. Add pancetta and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Simmer for about 10 minutes and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta to the sauce with a splash of pasta water and combine. Serve pasta with fresh basil and more parmesan cheese.

Notes

*If using an immersion blender, it is better to cook this sauce in a pot, making it easier to blend the sauce directly in the pot. This is harder to do with a sauce pan.

*If using an immersion blender, it's easier to blend without making a mess by tilting the pot.

*Be careful when blending and transferring hot sauce!

*If you prefer a chunkier sauce, you can skip blending, but for me the hallmark of a good vodka sauce is it's silky smooth texture.

Protein suggestions: If you would like to pair this with a protein, try chicken breasts or seared scallops.

Nutrition