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Penne alla Vodka with Sausage is an easy pasta recipe with penne pasta and Italian sausage in a creamy tomato sauce. This delicious dinner is perfect for date night or a quick meal anytime.
Penne alla vodka or penne with vodka sauce is a classic Italian pasta dish. My super easy version gets extra flavor and added protein from mild Italian sausage.
Why you’ll love this easy recipe!
This pasta recipe is incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients but honestly tastes like it comes from your favorite Italian restaurant.
And don’t worry, you can’t taste the vodka. It just makes the creamy sauce incredibly smooth and deliciousd! My family always goes back for seconds!
If you love pasta with creamy tomato sauce recipes, try my creamy shells and beef or creamy chicken pasta or creamy sausage pasta.
What You Need
Here’s a quick grocery list. Full amounts are listed in the printable recipe card below.
- Penne pasta — This short tubular pasta is perfect for picking up the creamy sauce.
- Crushed tomatoes — the main ingredient for the sauce. You can use marinara sauce, but the taste will be different.
- Garlic cloves — Minced garlic adds for flavor
- Vodka — helps bind the sauce and enhances the tomato flavor. I don’t recommend skipping this as it delivers the signature flavor of this dish.
- Heavy cream — makes the sauce rich and creamy
- Seasonings — sea salt, black pepper and dried parsley
- Butter and olive oil — to sauté the garlic
- Italian sausage — You can remove the casings and cook the crumbled sausage or brown the sausage and cut it into slices. Both are equally delicious, but crumbling the sausage is a little bit easier to make.
- Fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese — for freshness and creaminess
How to Make Penne alla Vodka with Sausage
First, brown the sausages in a large skillet. Then, sauté the garlic in butter and olive oil in the same Dutch oven or large pot. Cook the penne pasta in a large pot of water until al denté according to package directions. Or, cook pasta in your Instant Pot.
Add the can of crushed tomatoes, sea salt, pepper and parsley. Next, stir in the vodka, and cook for 5 minutes. This allows the alcohol to cook out of the sauce. Then, stir in the heavy cream. Reduce the heat, and let the sauce cook for about 2-3 minutes. Finally, add the cooked pasta to the sauce, and gently stir until the pasta and sauce are combined.
Pro Tips
If you’re using a gas stove, turn off the open flame while you add the vodka. Once the vodka is in the sauce, turn the flame back on.
I like to scoop the cooked penne out of the cooking water into the sauce. You can drain it if you like, but I do recommend reserving a cup of the pasta water to thin the sauce if it seems too thick.
Variations
Use turkey sausage or chicken sausages in place of sweet Italian sausage. You can spice up the dish with hot Italian sausage.
Use pancetta or bacon or chicken instead of sausage. Or keep this penne pasta recipe meatless.
I like this creamy vodka sauce recipe without onion, but you can add diced onions or shallots for extra flavor.
For extra spice, add red pepper flakes to the pasta sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish the pasta with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
Serve this simple pasta dish with extra Parmesan cheese and a simple green salad or a side of steamed broccoli or green beans. Homemade garlic bread completes the meal.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover penne and sausage in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can freeze the leftovers up to 3 months for longer storage. Reheat the penne in your microwave.
Penne alla Vodka with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage links casings removed
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup vodka
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Sauté garlic in butter and olive oil in Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat until soft
- Add sausage, and cook until no longer pink, crumbling up as it cooks
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Drain (or add directly to pasta sauce when done.)
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, sea salt, parsley and pepper, and heat until bubbling
- Stir in vodka, and cook for 5 minutes
- Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes
- Add cooked pasta, and stir until well combined. Add a little reserved pasta water to thin sauce, if necessary
- Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This has been sooo good to eat as leftovers! I can’t wait to make this again.
Thanks, James. I’m glad you enjoyed the pasta!
This recipe has become a staple in our house! The sauce is just SO good, and no one gets sick of eating it. Amazing recipe!!
Thank you for the wonderful review!
Made this for guest the other night! What a huge hit! Not that hard to make at all and tons of flavor!
Made this for Sunday supper, and it was a complete hit! Cant wait to make it again!
This is so much better than store bought! Actually, pretty easy and very tasty.