Vodka sauce

{{Short description|Italian-American tomato sauce}}

{{use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Vodka sauce

| image = File:Mashed potato gnocchi and vodka sauce.jpg

| caption = Potato gnocchi vodka

| alternate_name =

| country = United States

| region =

| creator =

| course =

| type = Sauce

| served =

| main_ingredient = Tomato sauce, vodka, Italian herbs, heavy cream

| variations = Spicy vodka sauce

| calories =

| other =

}}

File:Seafood Pasta in Vodka Sauce (436395621).jpg

File:Cavatelli with vodka sauce and meatballs - 52530434718.png pasta]]

Vodka sauce, is a creamy tomato sauce used in Italian-American cuisine,{{cite book|last1=Long|first1=Lucy|title=Ethnic American Food Today: A Cultural Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DBzYCQAAQBAJ&q=vodka+suace&pg=PA322|isbn=9781442227316|date=2015-07-17|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield }} made from a smooth tomato sauce, vodka, typical Italian herbs, and heavy cream (which gives the sauce its distinctive orange color).{{fact|date=March 2023}} The sauce's color ranges from pink to reddish-orange depending how it is prepared.{{Cite web |title=Vodka sauce, a popular Italian sauce ideal for social media {{!}} Nation's Restaurant News |url=https://www.nrn.com/food-trends/vodka-sauce-popular-italian-sauce-ideal-social-media |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=www.nrn.com |language=en}} Although Vodka is cooked out of the dish in the later stages, it is thought that the vodka helps the cream and tomato blend together in an emulsion during the cooking process.{{Cite web |last=Fann |first=Holly |title=I'm a chef comparing 6 store-bought vodka sauces, and I found the best is worth paying a few extra bucks for |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-best-vodka-sauce-grocery-store-chef-review-photos |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}

Vodka sauce is creamy tomato with a smooth texture, and flavored with olive oil, parmesan cheese, pepper, garlic, and shallots.{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Jenny |date=2021-04-08 |title=The Best Vodka Sauce Recipe |url=https://www.spoonforkbacon.com/the-best-homemade-vodka-sauce-recipe/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Spoon Fork Bacon |language=en-US}}

One of the original applications was in penne alla vodka, but it has expanded beyond that use to other pasta and dishes, with one author noting "vodka sauce has taken the world by storm" and pointing out it has broken out to other dishes.{{Cite book |last=Balisi |first=Jen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vggQEAAAQBAJ&q=%22vodka%20sauce%22 |title=Indulgent Eats at Home: 60 Crave-Worthy Recipes Inspired by the World's Most Instagram-Famous Food |date=2022-04-05 |publisher=Page Street Publishing |isbn=978-1-64567-411-5 |language=en}} The sauce does not have to be paired with penne, other options include rotini, bow tie, or linguine for example. However, a 2023 article in Epicurious notes that despite its origins as a penne pasta dish, by the 21st century vodka sauce had "left the pasta."{{Cite web |last=Eng |first=Jess |date=2023-05-18 |title=The Vodka Sauce Has Left the Pasta |url=https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/vodka-sauce-beyond-pasta |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Epicurious |language=en-US}} The sauce's color is said to make it popular on social media in the 2020s. One social media post related to vodka sauce, got 17 millions views in late 2024; a concerned parent found their vodka supply was dwindling but it turned out their daughters had been making vodka sauce.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-05 |title=A mom caught her teen daughter stealing vodka. Turns out, she wasn't drinking it |url=https://www.today.com/food/trends/mom-catches-teen-stealing-vodka-for-pasta-sauce-rcna169601 |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}} Other dishes that might use vodka sauce include chicken vodka radiatori, gnocchi vodka, fettuccine vodka, and penne with vodka sauce with crumbled bacon.{{Cite web |title=10 Classic Vodka Pasta Recipes with Creamy Tomato Sauces |url=https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/vodka-pasta-recipes/ |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=Allrecipes |language=en}}

Celebrity Carson Daly made a vodka sauce pizza on the Today show in 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-15 |title=Watch Carson and Siri adorably critique son Jackson's cooking demo on TODAY |url=https://www.today.com/food/carson-daly-son-jackson-family-cooking-segment-today-show-rcna180322 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}} The 2020s saw a trend in spicy vodka sauce, which is the same sauce with additional ground chili pepper for spicy hot kick.{{Cite web |last=Rizzolo |first=Stephanie |date=2024-09-12 |title=The 13 best N.J. restaurants for spicy vodka sauce, pasta's hottest trend, ranked |url=https://www.nj.com/food/2024/09/the-13-best-nj-restaurants-for-spicy-vodka-sauce-pastas-hottest-trend-ranked.html |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=nj |language=en}} Costco began selling pre-made spicy vodka sauce.{{Cite web |last=Hutsenpiller |first=Nathan |date=2024-04-02 |title=This 'Better Than Rao's' Pasta Sauce Is Sold at Costco |url=https://parade.com/food/costco-carbone-spicy-vodka-sauce |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Parade |language=en}} Some people may make tteokbokki, a Korean rice cake dish, with vodka sauce.{{Cite web |last=Park |first=James |date=2021-08-24 |title=Cook Your Rice Cakes in Pasta Sauce |url=https://www.eater.com/22637927/rice-cakes-pasta-sauce-recipe-tteokbokki |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=Eater |language=en}}

One chef found they could not find a difference in vodkas on the impact, but the higher proof ones need to cook off longer.{{Cite web |last=Redden |first=Claire |date=2024-03-23 |title=Does It Matter What Type Of Vodka You Use In Homemade Sauce? A Chef Weighs In |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1543225/does-type-matter-vodka-sauce/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Tasting Table |language=en-US}}

There are multiple origin stories for vodka sauce, which date to the 1970s and 1980s including various cookbooks and restaurants in New York City and Italy.{{Cite web |last=Paesana |title=The Story Behind The Sauce: Vodka |url=https://www.paesana.com/blog/the-story-behind-the-sauce-vodka |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.paesana.com |language=en-us}}

Multiple commercial brands have begun selling vodka sauce including: Bertolli, Isola, Prego, Full Circle, Whole Foods 365, and Rao's.