Penne Alla Vodka Recipe featuring all things good in life: Vodka, Bacon and Cheese!

This pasta recipe is one of my favourites and one of the first meals I ever learned to make. Although the alcohol from the vodka burns out, it really adds a certain depth of flavour that sort of makes you want to fall into a food coma 😴. If that wasn’t enough, there’s bacon in it too! This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare and 30-40 minutes to cook. Enjoy! 🍝

What you’ll need:

1 package of penne pasta (450 g) 1 tsp of margarine 2 tbsp of olive oil 1 tbsp of minced garlic ½ of a sweet onion, finely diced 1 package of bacon (375 g), cut into small pieces ½ cup of vodka 1 bottle of tomato pasta sauce (700 mL) (I prefer to use a roasted garlic flavoured pasta sauce) ¼ cup of heavy cream/whipping cream ½ tsp of salt 1 tsp black pepper ½ tsp of cayenne or paprika A sprinkle of red chili flakes (if you like your pasta with a bit of a spicy kick!) 2 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese ½ cup of green/spring onion, chopped finely 

What to do:

1. Fill a large pot ¾ of the way (add some olive oil and salt) and bring to a boil. When the water has come to a boil, add the uncooked pasta and continue boiling over medium-high heat until the pasta has cooked (typically 9-12 minutes – depending on how firm you prefer your pasta).

2. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water from the pasta using a colander and return the pasta to the large pot. Stir in 1 tbsp of margarine to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Set aside for later.

3. Place a large skillet on medium heat and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and diced onion and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and become translucent.

4. Add the chopped bacon to the large skillet and mix it in with the onions and garlic. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir the bacon occasionally as it cooks.

5. Cook the bacon for 10-15 minutes until it starts to brown in colour. Gather the bacon in the centre of the skillet (so that it forms a pile). Pour the vodka into the centre of the pile and increase heat to medium.

6. Allow the alcohol to burn out by stirring the bacon occasionally. Cook for 5 minutes and then turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the bacon to really crisp and brown, continuing to stir occasionally.

7. Once the bacon has become brown and crispy, reduce the heat to medium-low and add in your pasta sauce, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, cayenne/paprika and parmesan cheese (you can also sprinkle in some chili flakes if your looking for some extra spice 🌶️). Stir well, cover and simmer over medium-low for 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce should appear deep orange in colour.

8. Once the sauce has had a chance to cook, stir in the green onions. Grab a spoon and do a quick taste test! Add salt, black pepper or spice to taste.

9. Slowly add the cooked pasta from step 2 to the sauce with a large spoon and mix thoroughly after each spoonful, ensuring the pasta is fully coated with sauce. You may not need to add all of the pasta into the sauce (add according to how much sauce you like on your pasta). Feel free to add some extra grated parmesan (because who doesn’t love cheese 😉) and you’re ready to serve!

bon appetit