Nana's Easy Vodka Sauce Recipe (2024)

There are some dishes that are definitely better in a restaurant. Whether there’s an ingredient you can’t figure out, or you just don’t want to put the effort in, sometimes it’s totally worth it to pay a professional to do it right. But this is not one of those dishes for me. In my opinion, this easy vodka sauce is one of the best homemade meals you could ever make.

I’ve been eating it since before I can remember, and helping my Mom and Nana cook it for almost as long as that. It’s funny that I have loved a recipe with vodka for most of my life, long before I ever knew what vodka actually tasted like!

Why do you add vodka?

I feel like vodka sauce has become SUPER popular in recent years, but if you’ve never had it (or you have and just have no idea why there’s vodka in it), let me explain!

Obviously, adding a large amount of vodka to a tomato sauce and then eating it right away would be gross, right? But if you slowly simmer it in a sauce, only small traces of alcohol will remain and that amount can actually change the taste of the tomatoes by releasing new flavors that were otherwise hidden in them. Pretty cool, right?

The addition of prosciutto, cream, cheese and basil doesn’t hurt either 😉 Here’s how you make it!

Nana’s Easy Vodka Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
1/2 cup vodka
1 lb pasta
1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream or half & half
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add chopped prosciutto and cook for 3-5 minutes.
2. Once the prosciutto has a little color, add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. The garlic should be fragrant.
3. If you are using a can of plum tomatoes, take each tomato out one at a time and crush it into small pieces with your hands over the pot. Add the remaining sauce at the bottom of the can. (If you got regular crushed tomatoes, just add that whole can in). Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add vodka and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the alcohol cooks off. (This is a good time to cook your pasta according the instructions on the package!)
5. Stir in the cream, cheese and basil. Simmer for about 10 more minutes.
6. Add your cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat.
7. Serve with extra fresh basil and parmesan cheese!

*If you like spicy food, this recipe is also good with a little heat! Just add crushed red pepper flakes after step 4!

Ingredient Variations

Tomatoes

If I confused you in the instructions above, it is totally fine to just use a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. That being said, if you can find a can of whole plum tomatoes (something like this), grab them.

I always start by taking my rings off – it can get a little messy! Then use a fork to get each tomato out and crush it with my hands over the pot. This is better than both chopping them with a knife on a cutting board or just buying them pre-crushed, in my opinion. It creates some texture to the sauce without being too chunky or too smooth. It also doesn’t take long at all so I think it’s totally worth the extra effort!

Pasta Shapes

I usually make this easy vodka sauce with a short noodle like rigatoni or penne, but I only had bucatini on hand recently and it was DELICIOUS. In other words, use whatever pasta shape you want!

Cream/Non Dairy Options

This original recipe calls for heavy cream, but I usually use Half & Half or recently I’ve been loving Ripple’s Plant Based Half & Half. You can’t tell the difference at all!

PS. If you like this easy vodka sauce recipe, you might also like Nana’s Bolognese Sauce and Ricotta Gnocchi!