Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
There are recipes that are arguably better left to restaurant chefs, but pasta alla vodka isn’t one of them. The dish is easy, requires little prep time, and is deeply satisfying. Before you convince yourself there’s no way that a little onion, tomato paste, and cream can come together in mere minutes to make one of the best homemade pasta sauces you've ever had, watch Molly Baz make it and then it yourself.
Instead of canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, our version of this iconic Italian pasta dish relies on an entire tube of double-concentrate tomato paste, which according to Molly, contains 27 tomatoes per tube. Texture is key here; you want a glossy sauce. When you smash the garlic to remove the peels, be sure to give the cloves a good hard whack with the back of the knife so they melt into the sauté. A dash of chile flakes adds warmth without making things too spicy, but feel free to add more if you like it hot. Combining the cream with boiling water—and switching the stove to low heat before mixing it in—ensures the pasta sauce doesn’t break. Meanwhile, grating Parmesan on the smallest side of a box grater helps the cheese become one with the tomato-based sauce.
And yes, you can use penne or your favorite pasta shape for this recipe, but we find rigatoni a touch more interesting. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with garlic bread and maybe a side veggie or salad.
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What you’ll need
Spider
$10 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Heatproof Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 servings
1
4
4
2
1
½
2
¾
1
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a stock pot or other large pot three-quarters full with water and heat over high. Toss in a handful of kosher salt and bring to a boil while you do your other prep.
Step 2
Peel and finely chop 1 medium onion.
Step 3
Firmly smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife and remove peel.
Step 4
Grate 4 oz. Parmesan on the smallest holes of the box grater.
Step 5
Warm 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy large pot over medium heat (position it next to pot of water). Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, just until onion is starting to brown around the edges, 5–7 minutes.
Step 6
Add 1 (4.5-oz.) tube double-concentrated tomato paste and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and stir until paste evenly coats onion. Continue to cook, stirring often, until paste is deep red and starting to brown on bottom of pot, 5–7 minutes.
Step 7
Add 2 oz. (¼ cup) vodka to deglaze pan and stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of pot. Reduce heat to low.
Step 8
Using a heatproof glass measuring cup, scoop about ¼ cup boiling water from pot, then add
¾ cup heavy cream to measuring cup (this brings up the temperature of the cream so it won’t break when you add it to the pot).Step 9
Slowly add warmed cream to Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until a smooth sauce forms. Remove from heat.
Step 10
Add 1 lb. rigatoni to pot of boiling salted water; cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. About 1 minute before the timer goes off, use heatproof measuring cup to scoop up about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Heat Dutch oven over low.
Step 11
Using a spider, transfer rigatoni to Dutch oven along with any water that’s piggybacking on the pasta.
Step 12
Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to Dutch oven and stir to incorporate, then gradually add half of Parmesan, stirring constantly to melt cheese. You should have a smooth, glossy sauce that coats each piece of pasta. Season with salt and add a splash more pasta water to thin sauce, if needed.
Step 13
Divide pasta among bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan, dividing evenly. Drizzle with more oil, then tear basil leaves over.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed online as “Rigatoni With Easy Vodka Sauce” in February 2018. Head this way for more of our very best pasta recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (503)
Back to TopI like the addition of GIFs for each step! 👌🏻😌
Anonymous
4/17/2024
If you follow this recipe and its' recommendations you will have a classic and delicious Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce. As a former restaurant owner and chef my preparation and presentation for this dish was different, but was always well received. But I shook off the ego and followed the recipe step-by-step. Perfection.
Jerome Garcia
The Kitchen
1/17/2024
Please, if you make this recipe chop the garlic, double the vodka, and enjoy.
Donna
New Jersey
12/15/2023
Recipe in inspired by Italians…reader’s adding all the other ingredients to a good recipe? Let me just say ,” Keep it simple stupid !”.
Dennis Valentino
Chicago
12/11/2023
Used shallots instead of onion since we had a ton of them, minced the garlic & left it in, doubled the vodka for more flavor and added some sliced sun-dried tomato, basil and mozzarella chicken sausage for protein. There aren't a lot of meals that all 4 members of our family eat with enthusiasm, but this is one of them. I look forward to making it again and again in the future!
nicolepgh
Pittsburgh, PA
4/30/2023
This is my favorite dish to make and I’d easily pay $30 for it at a restaurant. I’ve made some additions/modifications that really take this incredible recipe a step up. MODIFICATIONS: 2 small onions instead of 1 1 shallot - cook this with the onions 4 cloves of garlic (minced) - I don’t like taking the garlic out and it’s so good to keep in. 1/2 lb of spicy Italian sausage 1/2 lb of sweet Italian sausage Pinch the sausage tube into small balls and toss them in at the same time as the garlic Cook both of these at the same time as you put in the garlic. Don’t overcook because the oils they release will make it harder to get the tomato paste to turn a dark red. Put the tomato paste in a bit earlier than you might think to ensure a dark red color can form. Last thing - don’t save any Parmesan for topping the pasta. Put it all in at the end and mix + add pasta water to get a nice sauce consistency.
Funk
San Francisco
4/17/2023
This has easily become a staple in our house. Start to finish I can get this done in 20-30 minutes tops if I start boiling the water for the pasta as I prep everything and get the sauce started. The sauce is simple, flavorful and basically foolproof. I will even pair this with some grilled chicken if I want an extra hit of protein. Absolutely recommend.
Kevin B
Chicago, IL
4/7/2023
Absolutely delicious! Made it following the recipe, as I’d never made a vodka sauce before, and thought it was divine. Don’t change a thing.
Jan T
Tasmania, Australia
3/28/2023
Killer. Claire has never missed. I subbed a couple shallots and I was super happy with it, but I can't imagine it was a huge change in the grand scheme of things.
Alex
Denton, TX
3/16/2023
Was great until adding the recommendation of pasta water. Way too much and diluted the flavor.
Anonymous
Dallas
12/21/2022
One of the best pasta recipes, if not vodka sauce! I don't usually have vodka on hand so I've used water to deglaze the pan. I doubled the red chili flakes to make it spicy (still bearable). Highly recommend blending the sauce after cooking to make it super creamy! Excellent recipe.
A Ev
Austin, TX
10/31/2022
Super easy, don’t change a thing! I added a small can of mushrooms. For all of those who post long-winded tweaks, we are not interested.
Jeff
Chicago
10/8/2022
I have made this multiple times and it is a good outline of a vodka sauce but to get it to a better consistence I normally have to add at least an extra handful of cheese a 6 oz can of tomato paste instead of 4.5 oz and a bit extra pasta water.
Mia Castro
West Windsor, NJ
7/27/2022
Fantastic! I've made dozens of different vodka recipes, this is so easy and so delicious!
Megan P
Coatesville, PA
7/26/2022
I used this recipe 3 years ago when I made vodka sauce for the first time. Even though I have mastered my own variation to Bon Appétit's version, I still often review back to this site to read different reviews and to compare Bon Appétit's to that of my own. As a few suggestions for a slightly different flavor combination, try adding 1/2 of a red onion to the oil and garlic mixture. Secondly, add a bit of toasted and milled black pepper. I also recommend that you add freshly chopped basil to the sauce before serving and upon mixing the sauce in a large pot prior to being served. I consider myself an "ingredient maximalist," however, recently I am trying to appreciate the flavor of individual ingredients. Through this, I recommend that pecorino romano and/or parmesan not be added to the sauce and instead sprinkle a bit on top upon serving. There also is no need to add olive oil on top prior to being served. Overall, great recipe!!
M.L.Eller
Finger Lakes Region, NY
7/18/2022