I tried Ina Garten's penne alla vodka. It's one of the best pasta dishes I've ever made.

Aug 15, 2026 08:05 PM - 1 hour ago 2

Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

Ina Garten's penne alla vodka is 1 of my favourite homemade pasta dishes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Ever since I began ranking Ina Garten's pasta dishes backmost successful 2021, thing has travel adjacent to topping her weeknight Bolognese.

That each changed erstwhile I tried her penne alla vodka.

The look was inspired by 1 of Garten's favourite dishes, the Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola from Nick & Toni's, a edifice successful East Hampton.

Now, it has a imperishable spot connected my database of best Barefoot Contessa dishes.

You astir apt already person astir of the ingredients for Ina Garten's penne alla vodka.

Ingredients for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

Garten's crockery features penne, vodka, and whole-peeled tomatoes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

To make Garten's penne alla vodka for four, you'll need:

  • ¾ lb of penne (Garten recommends DeCecco)
  • 2 ½ cups of chopped yellowish onions
  • 2 28-ounce cans of full peeled plum tomatoes, drained
  • 3 minced ail cloves
  • 1 cup of vodka
  • 1 cup of dense cream
  • ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan food (plus other for serving)
  • ¼ cup of bully oliva oil
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped caller oregano leaves (plus other for serving)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of dried oregano
  • ½ spoon of reddish capsicum flakes

To get started, I chopped my onions and minced my garlic.

Chopping onions for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

First, I chopped my onions. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

My prep was done successful a matter of minutes.

I threw the onions into my Dutch oven, wherever I had already heated immoderate oliva oil.

Cooking onions for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I cooked my onions for astir 5 minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I cooked my onions complete medium-low power for astir 5 minutes, until they turned translucent.

I added the garlic, reddish capsicum flakes, and oregano erstwhile my onions were cooked.

Adding herbs to onions for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I cooked everything for different minute. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I cooked everything together for 1 minute.

Then I added the vodka.

Adding h2o to condiment for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I fto my onions and vodka simmer for astir 5 minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

The look says to simmer everything together for astir 5 to 7 minutes, until the substance has reduced by half.

Next, I threw successful the full peeled plum tomatoes.

Sauce for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I crushed the full peeled plum tomatoes pinch my hands. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I crushed each full herb into the cookware pinch my hand, per Garten's instructions.

After seasoning the condiment pinch brackish and pepper, I covered my cookware and threw it into the oven.

Cooking the condiment for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I baked my herb substance for an hr and a half. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

The condiment needs to cook for 1 hr and 30 minutes, truthful I started cooking agelong earlier dinner.

It's not the quickest meal, but I committedness this crockery is worthy the wait!

Just earlier my condiment was ready, I began cooking the pasta.

Cooking the pasta for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I cooked my penne until it was al dente. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I brought a ample cookware of salted h2o to a boil and added the penne.

I cooked my pasta until it was al dente, which took astir 10 minutes. Then I drained my noodles and group them aside.

Once my condiment was retired of the oven, I threw it successful the blender.

Blending the condiment for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

After my herb substance was ready, I threw it successful the blender. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten says to purée the herb substance utilizing a blender aliases nutrient processor until it's smooth.

I poured my puréed herb substance backmost into the Dutch oven.

Adding pick to condiment for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I added dense pick and caller oregano to my sauce. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I seasoned the substance pinch brackish and pepper, past added the caller oregano and dense cream.

The colour transformed arsenic I stirred the pot.

Sauce for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

The dense pick changed the colour of the sauce. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

The hue reminded maine of the celebrated vodka pasta astatine Jon & Vinny's successful Los Angeles.

I partially covered my Dutch oven and fto the condiment simmer.

Letting the condiment simmer for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

Simmering the condiment for Garten's penne alla vodka. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

The condiment should simmer for 10 minutes.

When my condiment was ready, I threw successful the pasta.

Adding the pasta to condiment for Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

Adding pasta to the vodka sauce. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I fto the pasta navigator for 2 much minutes successful the sauce.

I took my Dutch oven disconnected the power and stirred successful the Parmesan cheese.

Adding food to Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I besides added plentifulness of Parmesan cheese. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Dinner was ready!

As I topped everything pinch other Parmesan and oregano, I couldn't thief but respect the dish.

Penne pasta successful orangish herb condiment topped pinch grated food and caller greenish herbs connected a achromatic oval plate.

Garten's penne alla vodka had the astir beautiful color. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

This is, without a doubt, the astir beautiful pasta I've ever made.

Garten's penne alla vodka is simply fantastic.

Ina Garten's Penne Alla Vodka

I can't hold to make Garten's penne alla vodka again. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

The condiment is truthful creamy and soft without being dense and overwhelming. Slowly roasting the herb condiment successful the oven added extent and complexity to the vodka sauce, which I really loved moreover much than my favourite from Jon & Vinny's. My only wish was that I had made immoderate of Garten's "outrageous" garlic bread to spell pinch it!

While Garten's pasta needs a spot much clip successful the oven, it doesn't require galore steps. The existent prep and cooking were beautiful minimal, but the penne still looked really impressive.

Whether you request a look to dazzle everyone pinch aliases want to whip up a comforting dish, there's genuinely nary amended pasta than this.

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Anneta Konstantinides is simply a manner analogous astatine Business Insider, pinch a attraction connected nutrient and travel. She loves taking readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens and exploring the world of fine-dining, and she's ever trying to find the best Ina Garten and Gordon Ramsay recipes. Her 2nd location is LAX, wherever she's often catching a formation and reviewing airlines.Anneta has besides been reporting connected the pageant manufacture for the past six years and has interviewed each Miss USA and Miss Universe victor since 2019. She was a finalist astatine the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the  2022 Miss USA ungraded and was featured successful The New York Times Presents section "How to Fix a Pageant" connected Hulu successful September 2023. After graduating from UCLA pinch a B.A successful English Literature and a insignificant successful movie & television, Anneta worked arsenic a journalist successful London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. You tin scope Anneta astatine [email protected]

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