Pasta alla Vodka with Harissa & Goat Cheese
Pasta alla Vodka has been having a moment for a while now and for good reason—it has all the makings of a labored dish but with pretty low effort. I’ve tweaked this classic Italian-American dish a bit to bring some more depth of spice by adding flavors of harissa and chili flakes along with goat cheese to ramp up the creaminess levels. It's a flavor-packed bowl of noods perfect for a weeknight dinner or a low-key, elevated weekend bite to impress pals.
This creamy tomato pasta was made popular in the States sometime in the 80’s but her history is annoyingly vague and has people fighting over the origins. Is it original to Italy or America? No one knows but too many have opinions they swear are right. Did a vodka manufacturer try to claim it as an original Italian dish to sell some extra bottles? You bet there are rumors. One thing I do confidently know is that this pasta dish curbs a comfort craving so fast. The ethanol in the vodka helps disperse the fat to create an emulsified sauce that blankets the noods so perfectly. I’ve opted to spice up the tomato base with harissa paste, and I've added a unique layers of creamy goodness to finish off the dish: tangy goat cheese.
Tips alla vodka
Vegetarian not your vibe? You could beef this up a little by adding pancetta to this dish! Just start the cooking process by sautéing the pancetta until crispy then add the diced onion and follow my steps from there!
The high acidity in the tomatoes is calling for a dry wine pairing with an equally high acidity to match the tomatoes. A light to medium-bodied red wine with low tannins would pair best so look for Barbera, Chianti Classico, or Beaujolais Villages. If white wine is more your speed, the vodka sauce and harissa are best accompanied by a cool, crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
Pasta alla Vodka with Harissa & Goat Cheese
I’ve tweaked this classic a bit to bring some more depth of spice and smokiness to this iconic Italian-American dish. With all the makings of a labored dish, Pasta alla Vodka comes together easily but just requires some patience!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- Pinch of red chili flakes
- ¼ cup vodka
- 1 14oz can San Marzano tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 pound dried pasta (pick a medium-shaped nood)
- ½ cup heavy cream (or ½ can coconut cream)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup parmesan, grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons peppercorn goat cheese (I like Laura Chenel)
Instructions
- Do some prep: dice ½ yellow onion and finely mince or grate 3 cloves of garlic.
- In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion, season with a pinch of salt, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
- Clear a hole in the middle of your onions and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, heat for 2-3 minutes until it begins to caramelize and darken in color, then mix well with the onions and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of harissa paste and a pinch of red chili flakes. Mix to combine and cook for another minute.
- Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup vodka, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any of those yummy brown bits that may have stuck to the pan.
- Add in a 14oz can of tomatoes with their liquid, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ cup basil. Smoosh up the tomatoes with a spatula and stir to combine everything. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often and scraping up anything sticking to the bottom.
- While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta noodles once water is boiling and cook to package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of cooking water before straining.
- Using an immersion blender, or regular blender (but omg be careful), blend the tomato vodka sauce until smooth.
- Add ½ cup heavy cream stir to combine.
- Turn off the heat, add the cooked pasta noodles and ¼ cup of the reserve pasta water. Mix it all to combine. Finish with 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup grated parmesan.
- Divide into bowls, top each with about 1 tablespoon goat cheese, a sprinkle finely chopped parsley, and a pinch of flake salt.
