I’ve made pasta with vodka sauce before. It’s something I almost always try at restaurants if they offer it and I love making it at home. Once in a while Ben and I get out to Pittsburgh for a date night to see a ballet or just to walk around and shop and we usually end up at this bar called Olive or Twist. He’d gone there on a work trip to Pittsburgh a few years ago and when we first moved to Morgantown he took me for a night out and knew I would just love the place. And I did! We’ve been there a few times since and I usually get their penne ala vodka.
The twist with theirs is that they use cream to make a richer sauce and put a crispy piece of prosciutto on top. Let me tell you, that prosciutto makes it. It adds a little salty bite to every few bites of rich pasta. I am just obsessed. So I decided to try to recreate the dish at home and it was a success!
Vodka Sauce with Prosciutto and Penne Recipe
16 oz. penne pasta – cooked
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves – minced
1/2 cup vodka
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup cream
1 Tablespoon fresh basil – chopped
2 slices prosciutto
Salt & black pepper to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes
While you’re cooking this sauce, you’ll want to get your water boiling and your pasta cooked to just before it’s done, with a little bite left.
Start by heating up 2 cloves of minced garlic in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat for about a minute.
Pour in your vodka and let it reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
Add your broth and tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in your cream and bring back to a simmer.
Toss in your cooked pasta and basil. Bring back up to temperature, until the pasta is just done.
Heat a medium skillet to medium-high heat and place your prosciutto in the heated pan. Let it cook for about 30-45 seconds until it shrinks in size and has a little crispness to it.
Top your sauce-coated pasta with your salty prosciutto and serve!
Do you have a dish that you always order at a restaurant?