Ricotta Pasta Alla Vodka
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 4slices thick-cut bacon (6 ounces), coarsely chopped
- 1½teaspoons red-pepper flakes
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 4large garlic cloves, crushed but left whole
- 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5tablespoons tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
- ¾ to 1cup vodka, depending on how boozy you want it
- 1pound fusilli, penne or rigatoni
- 1cup heavy cream
- 4ounces Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated (1 cup)
- 1cup/8 ounces whole-milk ricotta
- Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
778 calories; 37 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 650 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Step 2
Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy at the edges, about 5 minutes. Carefully drain all but 3 tablespoons of the fat, reserving any excess for later.
- Step 3
Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the red-pepper flakes, oregano and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add the onion, season generously with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add more bacon fat if the pan dries out. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until slightly darker in color, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the vodka.
- Step 4
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until 2 minutes shy of al dente.
- Step 5
While the pasta cooks, turn the heat under the sauce to high and cook, stirring constantly, until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat.
- Step 6
Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce, along with 1 cup pasta water and most of the pecorino. Cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with one hand while moving the pan back and forth with the other, until the sauce glossily drapes the noodles, 5 to 7 minutes. Add more pasta water if the sauce looks dry. Fish out the garlic cloves. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, as desired.
- Step 7
Divide the pasta among plates, sprinkling with any remaining pecorino and dolloping each serving with three spoonfuls of ricotta. Top with the parsley, which adds necessary freshness to counter the richness.
Private Notes
Comments
For a vegetarian version, instead of pancetta, I fried some semidried tomatoes in oil, and added smoked paprika and chipotle. Delicious!
Wow. That was so good! I followed the recipe (I know, not allowed on this site.) My daughters (9 and 6) were not drunk after dinner. The alcohol seemed to have cooked off just fine. I did agree with Loy and left the garlic in and substituted basil for parsley. Otherwise, the timings were perfect and it was ridiculously good.
Doubled the garlic and left the cloves in instead of pulling them out. Used basil instead of parsley. Absolutely amazing.
Used only a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I put the crushed garlic in after the onions had cooked a while, but it could have gone in earlier, per recipe. Even with 3/4 cup of vodka, the sauce was never as liquid as in Eric's video and did not need to be reduced. I let the heavy cream and the ricotta come to room temperature before adding it. Excellent. 9/9/25
I made the recipe as directed b/c In Eric Kim We Trust. I added the full cup of vodka because I was on call and couldn't have a real drink but... it was a long day. (Un)fortunately, the EtOH in the vodka did burn off. I think this is a recipe that, if you taste it as you cook it, you're gonna be like "meh," but in the end it all comes together and is really good, especially with the ricotta. Made it with some garlic kale and yum.
Make sure you cook the vodka long enough— I made the mistake tonight of only cooking the vodka and tomato paste for a couple minutes, and felt tipsy after dinner! I don’t drink at all so I have a very low alcohol tolerance but still…