Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola – Pasta in Vodka Sauce

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  Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola –  pasta in Vodka Sauce recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato from the famous East Hampton’s restaurant: Nick and Toni’s, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network – Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

However, if you’d like to spice up your pasta alla vodka check my recipe for Pasta Alla Vodka with Spicy Sausage. You could also simply add spicy sausage to this penne alla vecchia bettola!

Penne alla vecchia bettola in a skillet with spoonI remember the first time I saw the episode of the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network when Ina Garten met with a chef from Nick and Toni’s. I was literally drooling while they were preparing this awesome Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola. I knew that I had to make it one day.

The idea of slow-roasting tomatoes in the oven was just brilliant. Recently I saw this episode again and the light bulb lit up in my head – I need to make it with my own tomatoes from my very own garden. This recipe is a perfect Italian meal. It can serve as dinner, lunch, side dish to some light, grilled meats or a vegetarian main dish. You name it!

Oh yeah, I’ve been trying my hand at gardening. I’ve been “producing produce!” I am so proud of my gardens. I only have herbs, tomatoes, and peppers; but it is such an amazing feeling to grow something from the scratch. I’ve had so many tomatoes that I needed to come up with many creative ways to use them. Hence, this delicious pasta came to my mind.

I used my fresh Roma Tomatoes, instead of canned tomatoes, and the result was simply outstanding.

 Pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce in a skillet

This Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola pasta dish is one of the most popular posts on my blog. I originally published it on September 16, 2015. Since then I have received a number of comments and questions that I would like to address.

Below are Frequently Asked Questions and my answers to them. If you feel like I didn’t answer all of them please leave a comment. Also, the tomatoes season is approaching here in New York so I feel like it is an appropriate time to bring this recipe back to live. I previously updated my other very popular post: Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with FAQs and it was well appreciated so I am hoping that this FAQ section will be also useful.

After the FAQ section, you will see a step-by-step guide on how to make this amazing Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola.

Frequently Asked Questions about Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola:

  • When do you add vodka?
    • See the first step below.
  • What do I replace vodka if I don’t want to use it?
    • You can skip it or use some white wine. The taste will be a little bit different though.
  • What temperature should it be cooked on the stove?
    • It should be cooked on medium-high heat.
  • Can the sauce be made ahead of time?
    • Yes, absolutely. Keep it in a fridge and heat up when ready to serve.
  • My house is alcohol-free. What do I replace vodka with?
    • Simply skip it. It’s a flavor enhancer and there is no need to replace it.
  • Can you recommend a lactose-free alternative?
    • I would either use lactose-free cream or milk or if you are up for a taste: coconut milk. It will change the flavor but I’m sure it will still be delicious.

Here is a step by step guide on how to make Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola:

  • First: Sauté onions with garlic, red chili pepper flakes, and oregano. Cook until soft and translucent. Add vodka and cook for about 7 minutes.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • Then wash and cut up tomatoes into cubes. (Aren’t they beautiful?)

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • Add tomatoes to the onions/garlic mixture on your pan. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • Transfer the pan into the oven, heat up to 375F, and roast for an hour and a half. Here’s how it looks after you take it out of the oven.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • Place the tomatoes/onions mix in the blender and process until smooth.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • If the tomatoes produce too much liquid put it aside and add as much as needed to create the consistency of the sauce that you like.
  • If you have a high-speed blender your sauce should come out smooth but if your blender is not super powerful and you are left with pieces of seeds and/or skin, simply strain the sauce through the mesh strainer and you will have a smooth wonderful sauce.
  • Return the sauce to your pan, add heavy cream, mix and cook for about 5 minutes.Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.
  • In the meantime, shred some good quality Parmigiano Reggiano. It is really important to have a good quality, freshly shredded cheese. The taste and texture will be totally different if you use processed store-bought pre-shredded cheese with questionable quality.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • Add the cheese to the sauce and stir until combined. Check for seasoning and adjust to your liking.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • Cook pasta according to instructions, but one minute less. Add almost cooked pasta to your sauce and mix it well. You want to finish cooking pasta in the sauce.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

  • And here it is, smooth, velvety, absolutely delicious Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola with homegrown Roma Tomatoes.

Pasta in vodka sauce in a skillet with wooden spoon

  • Sprinkle some more cheese, black pepper, and parsley on top and enjoy. You should serve it immediately for the best taste and texture. However I had leftovers and we heated it up the next day for lunch, and it was still super delicious.

Pasta alla vecchia bettola on blue plate with fork

What does Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola Mean

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola is pasta in vodka sauce that translates in Italian to Old Tavern or “Pens of the Old Tavern” or Tavern pasta. I can guarantee you that this is the best pink pasta or pasta in vodka sauce you will ever try!

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

This is my favorite pasta recipe but go and check my latest Italian recipes:

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.
4.80 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 515kcal
Author: Edyta

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 yellow onion medium, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 12-15 Roma tomatoes (depending on size), diced
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 3/4 pound penne pasta
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parsley or fresh oregano to garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375F;
  • In an ovenproof skillet heat up olive oil, add onions, and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent;
  • Add garlic and chili flakes and oregano and cook for another minute;
  • Add vodka and let it cook until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes;
  • In the meantime cut up the tomatoes;
  • Add to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes;
  • Cover the pan with the fitted lid and transfer to the oven;
  • Roast for 1 hour and a half;
  • Cook pasta according to instructions but 1 minute less (you want to finish cooking it in the sauce);
  • Remove the tomatoes from the oven and puree in a blender (be careful to cover the blender tightly with kitchen towels and do not fill up more than 1/3rd at the time);
  • If the tomatoes produced too much liquid put some of it aside. Once you blend your tomatoes and the sauce is too thick you may want to add more liquid to the blender to achive the consistency of the sauce that you like.
  • If you have a high-speed blender your sauce should be very smooth. However, if your blender is not very powerful and you end up with pieces of seeds/skin, simply use a mesh strainer and strain the sauce through it.
  • Once all the sauce is blended, place it in the pan and add cream;
  • Mix together and let cook for about 3 minutes;
  • Add grated cheese and season with salt and pepper;
  • Add pasta to the sauce, mix well and let it cook for another minute;
  • Sprinkle with fresh herbs, more cheese, and pepper, and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1390IU | Vitamin C: 18.8mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Tried this recipe?Show me @eatingeuropean or tag #eatingeuropean!

You can serve it with this amazing summer salad: Horiatiki Salad with Golden Greek Pepperoncini

Horiatiki Salad with Golden Greek Peperoncini coHoriatiki Salad with Golden Greek Peperoncini combines the freshest ingredients of seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy kalamata olives and creamy feta with mildly piquant, fruity flavor Mezzetta Peperoncini. #DontForgettaMezzetta #Mezzetta #Ad

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Or these recipes using fresh tomatoes:

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66 Comments

  1. Hi there! Making this dish for 17! Would you recommend tripling all ingredients including the cream, oil & vodka?

    1. Yes, it’s a lot of servings. Triple the whole recipe. I’m sorry, I’ve been traveling and I don’t know if it’s too late for a response 🙁

  2. 5 stars
    I made it for the second time, today. And, again,
    it was soooooo delicious! Or as we say in German:
    lecker!!
    Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
    Hi from Munich
    Meike

    1. Hi Meike from Munich! I’m super happy to see you here and I am so glad you liked this pasta. I always make it when I have guests and once I have 5-year-old licking her plate! I love this pasta too 🙂

  3. 3 stars
    quick question that I hope hasn’t been asked and answered. You look like you haven’t blanched and peeled the roma tomato’s first. even though you’re pureeing this, doesn’t that add a bitter flavor? (the skin)

    1. I have not peel the tomatoes. They roast for a long time so there is no issue with any bitterness or skin. Feel free to blanch and peel yours.

  4. 5 stars
    So delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe! Loved it, I also added shredded carrots as a previous reviewer stated so that was great. Overall great recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I added Italian sausage at the end for my family…. they ate it all!!! Thank you for the recipe!!!

  6. Well darn my tomatoes just petered out.
    Such an incredible batch this summer! I too
    Love my garden I call it my real vegetables! I’m gonna go pick some real veggies!
    I’ve got the recipe saved for next year!

    1. Every stove is different so it’s hard to say exactly. You don’t want to burn it, just saute them. Start with medium and if it is making pan to hot lower the heat.

  7. I made this for the first time.
    In the description you put the pan with te fitted lid in to the oven?
    I wonder where is al the moisture going?
    My result of this was much wetter, when it came out of the oven.
    The tast was also disappointing.

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