Penne Alla Vodka Recipe

Cook pasta

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente according to package directions (usually 9–11 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain, leaving pasta ready to combine with sauce.

When sauce is ready, toss the drained penne directly into the sauce in the skillet. Add up to the reserved cup of pasta water a little at a time as needed to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the pasta.

Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano until melted and incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve topped with remaining cheese and a crack of black pepper.

Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the diced pork belly and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and pieces are golden-brown and crisp at the edges, about 6–8 minutes. If pork is very lean, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to help rendering.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer most of the crisped pork to a plate, leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet (keep some rendered bits in the pan for flavor). If there is excess fat, spoon it off until you have 2 tablespoons left.

Lower heat to medium-low. Add the finely diced onion to the rendered fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and starting to brown at the edges, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30–45 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to caramelize and deepen flavor.

Add the vodka and carefully simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until the alcohol smell has mostly cooked off and the vodka is reduced slightly.

Add the crushed tomatoes (if using whole canned tomatoes, crush them by hand or with a spoon as you add them). Stir to combine, then bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, for 12–15 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the heavy cream and the optional teaspoon of sugar. Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until the sauce is a uniform pink-orange color and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Return the reserved crisped pork pieces to the skillet and stir to incorporate into the sauce. Heat through for 1–2 minutes so the pork warms and melds with the sauce.