I love Italian food!  I especially love pasta dishes, I could eat pasta every day.  I sometimes think that I was Italian in a previous life.  So it should come as no surprise that I wanted to make pasta for dinner last night.

The dish that was coming to mind for me was pasta with vodka cream sauce.  I had never made it before, but I really wanted to give it a try.  So I spent some time looking at different recipes to see how it was done and then I went to work on my own version.

It turned out to be delicious, definitely a “keeper” recipe.  I used my homemade marinara sauce in this recipe,  but you could certainly use your favorite jar of sauce.  I also used half and half, partly to keep it a little lighter and partly because that’s what I had on hand.  Feel free to use cream if you prefer.

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce


  • 4 cups marinara sauce (click on the link for my recipe or use your favorite jarred sauce)
  • 2/3 cup vodka
  • 1 cup half and half (or cream, if you prefer)
  • crushed red pepper, to taste
  • a couple of big handfuls of parmesan cheese
  • hot, cooked short pasta (I used penne)
Pour marinara sauce into a large skillet and heat over medium heat.  When sauce is heated, add vodka (I always turn the burner off before I add alcohol to the pan).
Bring mixture up to a simmer and then add crushed red pepper, to taste.
Stir in half and half.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add parmesan and stir in.
Add hot pasta and combine.
Serve immediately.
ENJOY!Shared at It’s a Keeper on 12/15/11.
Shared at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage on 12/15/11.
Shared at 4 Little Fergusons on 12/16/11.
Shared at Mandy’s Recipe Box on 2/28/12.
Shared at Gooseberry Patch on 2/29/12.
Shared at Katherine Martinelli on 3/02/12.
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