Baked Penne alla Vodka with sausage and ricotta coated in an amazing sauce is going to be your new best friend. Pasta that starts out on the stove and ends up in the oven. A great make ahead casserole to enjoy at home or take to a friend.
While I enjoy lasagna, it has a lot of red sauce. After trying a vodka sauce at an Italian restaurant in DC, I really wanted to experiment making it at home. This recipe for penne alla vodka is one of my new favorites. After making it the first time, I’ve gone back to this recipe time and time again. I took it to a friend who was under the weather, and made it again over Spring Break when Natalie was home. I made a double batch so she could take some home and have dinner with her friends back at school. It’s really easy to double this recipe and it makes great left overs.
Everyone just raves about this recipe, and I have to admit, I love the combination of flavors.
It’s a bit like lasagna but a lot easier and the vodka sauce puts this over the top. With Penna alla Vodka the sauce has a bit of cream, which cuts down on the overpowering red sauce that you see in some Italian dishes, and the vodka adds the most unique flavor. Of course I used Tiny Cat Vodka from our local distillery. If you’re in the area, you have to check out Fainting Goat Spirits. The tour is super fun and everyone loves Bill and Andrew.
How do you make baked penne alla vodka
Step 1: To make this amazing casserole, you start out by cooking the Italian sausage then add onions and seasoning and finally the vodka along with some crushed tomatoes. This will simmer for 40 minutes and then you will add the cream.
Step 2: While the sauce is cooking, you cook the penne and add the cooked pasta to a mixture of ricotta, parmesan and olive oil. Once the pasta is well coated, they meat sauce is added and you dump it into a casserole dish and cover with cheese.
Step 3: Bake for about 45 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
The sauce has to simmer for about 40 minutes but its hands off after about 20 minutes of prep time. The result is a rich and creamy dinner that makes enough to share.
I found the original recipe in one of Food & Wine Best of the Best. These books contain recipes from 25 cookbooks that they have compiled into a book. This way you get to sample recipes to help you decide whether to buy the individual cookbooks. This recipe was from Emeril’s Potluck. I found several recipes in this compilation that were real keepers. What a great way to check out some cookbooks. You can grab the older versions for less than $10.00 on Amazon.
This is a great dish to take make ahead. Just assemble it and put it in the freezer. Then if you need to take dinner to a friend or maybe a new mom, you’re all set. If you’re in a hurry you can try spaghetti alla vodka which uses a prepared sauce.
Looking for more casserole dinners
- Kids especially love a tater tot casserole
- Brisket with mac & cheese is an awesome casserole when you have a big crowd
- Feeling Tex-Mex try a chicken tamale pie casserole or a Southwest version of chicken and rice
- Try something lighter with shrimp and pasta with grilled corn
If you make Baked Penne alla Vodka, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.
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Baked Penne alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
- 4 cups onions thinly sliced, about 2-3 onions
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup vodka
- 2 16 ounce cans canned whole tomatoes crushed with their juice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven or deep skillet over high heat. Remove casing from sausages and add to pan breaking apart as they cook. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook an additional 4 minutes until onions have softened. Add basil and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add vodka and tomatoes and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes. Add thyme, cayenne and heavy cream, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes.
- While cooking, cook pasta with olive oil and salt until al dente. Drain.
- In a large bowl combine half of the ricotta cheese and half of the parmesan and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add the sausage mixture and mix well. Add the remaining ricotta and parmesan and mix well. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes.
Nutrition
Baked Pasta alla Vodka
Baked Penne alla Vodka with sausage and ricotta with an amazing sauce is going to be your new best friend. It starts out on the stove and ends up in the oven.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Category: entree
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
- 4 cups onions, thinly sliced, about 2–3 onions
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup vodka
- 2 16 ounce cans canned whole tomatoes, crushed with their juice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350º.
2.Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven or deep skillet over high heat. Remove casing from sausages and add to pan breaking apart as they cook. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook an additional 4 minutes until onions have softened. Add basil and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add vodka and tomatoes and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes. Add thyme, cayenne and heavy cream, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes.
3.While cooking, cook pasta with olive oil and salt until al dente. Drain.
4.In a large bowl combine half of the ricotta cheese and half of the parmesan and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add the sausage mixture and mix well. Add the remaining ricotta and parmesan and mix well. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes.
Do you break up the tomatoes? I’m making it tomorrow
Yes, they should be crushed. I do this with my hands. Hope you enjoy it, I love it!