Easy Vodka Sauce 🍅

Today I’m going to teach you how to make a world class Vodka Sauce using a jar of sauce, and it’s not any old jar of sauce, it’s Antonio Carlo! Antonio Carlo is from Genoa, Italy and he makes the best sauce you will ever have regardless that it’s in a jar, it is truly a homemade Italian masterpiece! All you need for this recipe is pancetta, sliced garlic, a jar of sauce, vodka of course, heavy cream, and some freshly shredded pecorino romano cheese. We are going to spice up your Valentine’s Day with this recipe and you won’t even break a sweat. But, I assure you your valentine better get you a lovely gift after this meal because it is a creamy little plate of love! Are you ready? Let’s make it!

A stainless steel cookware set includes a frying pan, a sauté pan with glass lid, a mesh basket, and a recipe book featuring America's Restaurant Favorites, including an Easy Vodka Sauce recipe.

I have had this Copper Chef Stainless-Steel Titan Fry, 9.5 inch with 8 inch Pan for years and it is my go to pan for all my recipes! I especially use this pan for all my one pot meals because the pan with the lid can go in the oven and it offers maximum heat retention!

A stainless steel frying pan with diced pancetta or bacon pieces cooking in oil on a stovetop—an essential start for making an Easy Vodka Sauce. The meat is raw and pink, sizzling as it heats over the burner.

A frying pan with small diced pieces of bacon cooking on a stovetop, perfect for starting an Easy Vodka Sauce. A wooden slotted spoon rests on the edge, and some oil is visible among the sizzling bacon bits.

Diced bacon and sliced garlic are sautéing in a black frying pan on a stovetop, forming the savory base for an Easy Vodka Sauce, with a wooden spoon resting on the pan’s edge.

A hand holds a container of Badia Crushed Red Pepper above a frying pan with sliced garlic and bacon sizzling in oil—perfect beginnings for an Easy Vodka Sauce. A wooden spoon rests on the side of the pan.

A pot of rigatoni pasta boiling in water on a stovetop, with steam rising and bubbles forming—perfectly prepped for tossing in an Easy Vodka Sauce. The stainless steel pot rests on a sleek black cooktop.

A frying pan on a stovetop contains diced meat and sliced garlic sizzling in oil, perfect for starting an easy vodka sauce, with a wooden spoon resting across the pan’s edge.

A hand holds an open jar of Antonio Carlo tomato basil marinara sauce above a pan of sautéing onions and tomato sauce on a stovetop—perfect for creating an easy vodka sauce.

A pan of easy vodka sauce with herbs simmers on a stovetop, filling the kitchen with rich aromas, as a wooden spoon rests on the edge of the pan.

🗒 More Delicious Pasta Recipes

Rigatoni Alla Vodka

Homemade Sauce

Baked Zita alla Vodka 🍝

Creamy Bacon Carbonara

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store in an air-tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

🤔 Common Questions

Can I use a different type of pasta instead of rigatoni

Absolutely, you can use any type of pasta you like!

Can I use parmesan instead of pecorino Romano?

Yes!

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Melissa Jo

Easy Vodka Sauce

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Today I'm going to teach you how to make a world class Vodka Sauce using a jar of sauce, and it's not any old jar of sauce, it's Antonio Carlo! Antonio Carlo is from Genoa, Italy and he makes the best sauce you will ever have regardless that it's in a jar, it is truly a homemade Italian masterpiece! All you need for this recipe is pancetta, sliced garlic, a jar of sauce, vodka of course, heavy cream, and some freshly shredded pecorino romano cheese. We are going to spice up your Valentine's Day with this recipe and you won't even break a sweat. But, I assure you your valentine better get you a lovely gift after this meal because it is a creamy little plate of love! Are you ready? Let's make it!

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Calories: 579

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz diced pancetta
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
4 garlic cloves sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb rigatoni
⅓ cup vodka
24 oz jar Antonio Carlo Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce or any jar of marinara sauce
¾ cup heavy cream
2 oz freshly grated pecorino romano

Equipment

Method

Heat up a pan with olive oil and add in the pancetta, salt, and cracked black pepper. Saute the pancetta for about 3 – 5 minutes on medium heat and when the fat starts rendering add in the sliced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute that for just a few minutes until the garlic is slightly golden and fragrant.
Boil the rigatoni in salted water according to package directions until al dente.
Once the garlic is slightly golden, pour in the vodka and let that simmer on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes to let the alcohol burn out. Next, pour in the marinara sauce, give it a stir, and bring the pan to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower it to a simmer, and let that simmer for 3 – 5 minutes. Then, pour in the heavy cream, give it a stir, and bring the pan back up to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower it to a simmer, and let that sauce simmer together for about 5 minutes.
Then add in the al dente rigatoni and toss it with the vodka sauce. Grate some pecorino romano over the top and serve it up! Enjoy!!

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Nutrition

Calories: 579kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 18gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 983mgPotassium: 590mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 976IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 157mgIron: 2mg