Easy Creamy Vodka Sauce: A Shortcut Restaurant-Style Pasta Sauce

I originally developed this recipe for Barilla in 2016. Thanks, Barilla, for partnering with me!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure page. 

Dinner In a Snap with Jarred Pasta Sauce

You are less than thirty minutes away from dinner!

One of my favorite quick meals is cooking up some pasta and finishing it in some great sauce, homemade or store bought.

Even if you aren’t up for making a quick homemade sauce for a weeknight dinner, there are some excellent jarred pasta sauces out in the world, such as this All Natural Marinara from Barilla.

First, Start with Jarred Marinara

You can actually buy jarred vodka sauce, but it’s so easy to turn a jarred or homemade marinara into vodka sauce, I usually just do it myself. Here’s how it works:

• Heat oil and pepper flake.
• Add marinara and heat.
• Add vodka and reduce a few minutes.
• Stir in cream cheese and Pecorino Romano.

See? Easy!

What Makes This Sauce Creamy?

Most vodka sauce is made with heavy cream.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have heavy cream on hand. But what I do almost always have on hand is cream cheese, and that’s the secret ingredient in my easy vodka sauce, although I guess it isn’t a secret anymore!

So, while it may not be strictly (or even a little bit) traditional, you can absolutely make vodka sauce with cream cheese.

See the magic of cream cheese at work here in my creamy pasta sauce and creamy mac and cheese recipes too.

What If I Don’t Drink? What Can I Substitute for the Vodka?

No worries if you don’t have vodka in the house. You can still make a very flavorful sauce by just adding a bit of stock in place of the vodka.

It won’t be exactly the same as if you used vodka, but it will still be creamy and delicious!

Other Easy Dinner Recipes To Try

Want some more easy dinner ideas? Try one of these comforting recipes. All can be ready in under 30 minutes, although you will want to chill the macaroni salad:

• Hamburger Macaroni Casserole is one of my favorite casseroles. My mom used to make it often, and it was always a hit. Made originally with canned soup mix, I update it a bit, but it is every bit as comforting as the original
• Mom-Style Macaroni Salad is my mom’s recipe. Heavy on the mustard and relish and studded with little cubes of cheese. Lord, it’s good!
• One-Pot Pimento Cheese Pasta is another easy pasta recipe that turns homemade or storebought pimento cheese into a truly Southern mac and cheese.

I really hope you love this recipe, you guys!

If you make it, please share a photo with me before you devour them, either in the Pastry Chef Online Facebook Group or on instagram by tagging @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe.

A star rating and a review is also really helpful to readers, so if you make this recipe, please rate and review it!

And leave me a comment, too. I love to hear from you guys, and am always working to make the site better!

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Thanks, and enjoy!

Continue to Content

Creamy Vodka Sauce (Shortcut Recipe)

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This easy vodka sauce is a snap to put together, and your dinner will be on the table in about 20 minutes, I promise. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

For the Creamy Vodka Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake, , to taste
• 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup vodka, (sub water or stock if you don't want to use alcohol)
• 4 oz cream cheese, (1/2 block)
• 2 oz finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, (if needed for sweetness)

To Finish and Serve

• 1 pound your favorite hearty pasta shape such as penne

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until it shimmers.
2. Add the pepper flake and swirl for a few seconds to flavor the oil.
3. Pour in the jar of your favorite marinara sauce and stir well. Bring to a simmer and add the vodka, water or stock.
4. Simmer and stir for about 5 minutes just to reduce the sauce a bit.
5. Stir in the cream cheese until melted, and then stir in the grated Pecorino Romano.
6. Taste, and if needed, add the balsamic for a bit of brightness. I quite liked it in mine.

To Finish and Serve

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Boil only 7 minutes rather than 9, then drain it, reserving 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
2. Add the pasta and water to the creamy marinara sauce and stir well over high heat until the pasta is done and the sauce beautifully coats every piece of penne.
3. Serve with extra grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Enjoy!

Notes

If you make your sauce while your pasta water is coming to a boil and while your pasta is cooking, I promise you dinner can be on the table in about 20 minutes!

This sauce will keep in the fridge for a good 5 days, but I doubt it will last that long!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Italian Penne Pasta
• 
  3-Quart Saucepan
• 
  Zassenhaus Speyer 5.1-Inch Dark Stained Beech Pepper Mill

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1/6
Amount Per Serving Calories 399Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 33mgSodium 832mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 4gSugar 9gProtein 13g

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And there it is, friends. Starting with jarred pasta sauce  is a great shortcut to restaurant-style flavor with minimal effort.

Thank you so much for spending some time with me and with Barilla®.

Take care, and have a lovely day.