By Eric Kim
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(2,481)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In a 1974 cookbook, the Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi published a recipe for pasta all’infuriata, "furious pasta," a chile-vodka-spiked tomato number. It’s one of the first written accounts of vodka in pasta. The alcohol is said to help fat disperse more evenly, keeping the sauce emulsion glossy and creamy, and to help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce's flavors in a heightened way. The ricotta serving suggestion draws inspiration from the creamy tomato soup with three dollops of cool, sweet ricotta on top from the now-closed Caffe Falai in Manhattan’s NoLIta neighborhood. The ricotta lends coolness both in temperature and in flavor, offering relief between bites of spicy booziness.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- Kosher salt
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 4slices thick-cut bacon (6 ounces), coarsely chopped
- 1½teaspoons red-pepper flakes
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 4large garlic cloves, crushed but left whole
- 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5tablespoons tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
- ¾ to 1cup vodka, depending on how boozy you want it
- 1pound fusilli, penne or rigatoni
- 1cup heavy cream
- 4ounces Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated (1 cup)
- 1cup/8 ounces whole-milk ricotta
- Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
790 calories; 38 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 694 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Step
2
Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy at the edges, about 5 minutes. Carefully drain all but 3 tablespoons of the fat, reserving any excess for later.
Step
3
Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the red-pepper flakes, oregano and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add the onion, season generously with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add more bacon fat if the pan dries out. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until slightly darker in color, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the vodka.
Step
4
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until 2 minutes shy of al dente.
Step
5
While the pasta cooks, turn the heat under the sauce to high and cook, stirring constantly, until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat.
Step
6
Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce, along with 1 cup pasta water and most of the pecorino. Cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with one hand while moving the pan back and forth with the other, until the sauce glossily drapes the noodles, 5 to 7 minutes. Add more pasta water if the sauce looks dry. Fish out the garlic cloves. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, as desired.
Step
7
Divide the pasta among plates, sprinkling with any remaining pecorino and dolloping each serving with three spoonfuls of ricotta. Top with the parsley, which adds necessary freshness to counter the richness.
Ratings
5
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2,481
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Loy
Doubled the garlic and left the cloves in instead of pulling them out. Used basil instead of parsley. Absolutely amazing.
Sean
Wow. That was so good! I followed the recipe (I know, not allowed on this site.) My daughters (9 and 6) were not drunk after dinner. The alcohol seemed to have cooked off just fine. I did agree with Loy and left the garlic in and substituted basil for parsley. Otherwise, the timings were perfect and it was ridiculously good.
Marghuerita
Followed KaBo’s adaptation, with a couple of tweaks: added lime and salt with the tequila; doubled pizzas
Irene
Not really, that brief time the vodka is on the heat will leave most of the alcohol in"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there’s no point at which all of the alcohol disappears."
Kat
For a vegetarian version, instead of pancetta, I fried some semidried tomatoes in oil, and added smoked paprika and chipotle. Delicious!
SpinnyD
There are a few brands of tempeh "bacon" that would help with the smoky flavor that regular bacon adds, along with the chewy bacon texture to contrast with the pasta. But tempeh won't add all the unctuous fat of regular bacon, you'll need additional olive oil. Alternatively, sh*take mushrooms can add chew, and you can smoky spices and extra salt along with some extra olive oil.
Ho
I skipped the heavy cream and garlic, used part skim ricotta, and burnt the bacon to crispy chewy. Was also amazing.
Janis
This was absolutely delicious as written… the whole family enjoyed and said that it was a “keeper.” Thank you, Eric Kim!
KRock
Cooked as written. One of my all-time favorite NYT recipes, and I am a long-time subscriber.
Eric Kim
Leave it in the pan! Enjoy!
Mich
This has to be one of the best tasting pasta dishes I have ever made! Cut the recipe by half and still have left overs! Stellar dish:-)
Don
I followed the suggestion of an internet cooking guru who tested various alcohols, and he found that GIN proved the best flavor. Try it next time with gin, and see if you agree.(Yes, there are many brands of gin, but I recommend the gin that comes in the blue -tinted bottle.)
Jess A
Would it be accurate to think the alcohol does not burn off because the vodka is out in off the heat? I also think this would be equally delicious using blended (to get the lumps out) cottage cheese in place of the heavy cream for a nice protein bump.
Joanne
A bit too spicy for me, I would cut back on the red pepper, unless you like spicy. Otherwise it was an awesome quick meal to prepare!
Suzanne
I made this tonight as directed and it was very good. We deem it dinner party worthy.
PMD
I’m baffled by this recipe and how my experience could have been so different from others’… This was inedible. It tasted like straight vodka, even after reducing for much longer than called for. I’m so confused. And yes, I am a competent cook! Nobody else had this experience? Absolutely bizarre. And I LOVE Eric, btw! Sorry Eric! <3
SteveP
I'm veggy so I left out the bacon and just used olive oil, it was excellent. I also left in garlic no need to take about.
Chef Carlos
Just about pasta perfection! The ricotta softens the spicy in a great way. Will entice cautious guests wary of spice. Low tannin wine like Merlot.
eva
Weirdest co*cktail recipe ever!!!
Craig
I made two versions in two nights: one as written, and one using mushrooms in place of bacon for a vegetarian-friendly meal. I love bacon but I honestly preferred the mushroom version.
Delos
When do you add in the bacon? Once cooked and chopped— the end?
Craig
The bacon stays in from the very beginning.
Pam
Living in Colorado, we are used to hot and spicy; but, the next time I make this I will reduce the amount of red chile peppers. Beyond that, is was a creamy delicious vodka penne.
Cece
So delicious! One thing... I forgot the heavy cream, so mixed plan yogurt with milk in place of the cream... still outstanding!
Karen
Added a few sun dried tomatoes in EVO. A few basil leaves along with the parsley. Delicious.
David Shepherd
Nice, easy prep for a flavorful, relaxed meal. If you can make a carbonara, this recipe is in your wheelhouse. My deviations: I used more garlic (always do), that I left in–why discard? I shied on the red pepper, maybe a half teaspoon, just to test the waters (we felt it was enough). Also, in place of cream I went with about 1/4+ cup of half and half and stirred in a full half cup+ of good-quality ricotta, resulting in a very creamy, rich sauce. This one's in the quiver.
Miriam
I have not seen an authentic penne ala vodka for decades, which includes caramelized shallots and peas. Bacon is an OK substitute for prosciutto.
Anne
This was awesome. I used half and half because I didn’t have cream and cut back a tad on the pepper flakes. My sauce was a little looser because of the amount of pasta water I added, but I actually preferred it that way. A keeper that I will definitely make again. BTW, the video is really helpful.
Tweaks
-can use pancetta -leave garlic in-swap half and half for cream-also can use part skim ricotta or just less when serving
Linda C
Is it 4oz Pecorino Romano/Parmesan or 1 cup (which is 8oz)?
Martha W.
Delicious sauce. Really hot if you add all the red pepper. I’d start with half a tsp and add to taste from there.
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