Creamy Vodka Sauce Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata

Creamy Vodka Sauce Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata – a restaurant-style tomato vodka pasta topped with creamy burrata cheese and crispy bits of prosciutto.

Creamy Vodka Sauce Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata

The perfect dinner for when you’re in the mood for really amazing pasta! It’s easy to make, with simple ingredients, but the finished dish is so impressive and feels special. Impress your friends and family by serving a homemade vodka sauce over freshly cooked pasta. Finish it with creamy burrata cheese and crispy prosciutto bits for a restaurant-style dinner at home.

Ingredients for Vodka Sauce Pasta

• Olive Oil – for frying the prosciutto
• Prosciutto – I love adding crispy prosciutto to recipes. It crisps up quickly and adds a delicious salty crunch. You can substitute bacon in the recipe, but you may need to drain some of the fat after frying.
• Butter – for sautéing the garlic and crushed red pepper.
• Garlic
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Tomato Paste
• Vodka – added in two different stages for extra flavor development. Reduce the first 1/2 cup as you traditionally would, then stir in a tablespoon to finish the sauce at the end.
• Strained Tomatoes – sometimes called passata, these are uncooked tomatoes that are pureed without the skins or seeds for a smoother texture and a fresh tomato flavor. See the picture above for reference on what to look for at the grocery store.
• Heavy Cream
• Salt and Pepper
• Pasta – use rigatoni, or any other similar shaped pasta like penne, or fusilli
• Burrata Cheese – drain and let set at room temperature while preparing the recipe to take the chill off before adding it to the pasta.
• Parmesan Cheese – for topping
• Basil – for garnish

How to Make Vodka Sauce Pasta

1. Start by heating a large pot of water for pasta.
2. In an enamel-coated cast-iron pan or a non-stick pan, fry prosciutto in olive oil until golden brown and crispy.
3. Sauté garlic, crushed red pepper, and tomato paste in butter to build flavor.
4. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of vodka.
5. Add tomatoes and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Let sauce simmer on medium-low and cook pasta according to package instructions.
7. Reserve 1/2 a cup of pasta cooking water to thin sauce, only if needed.
8. Stir in one tablespoon of vodka to finish sauce, then stir in cooked pasta.
9. Top with burrata and crispy prosciutto.
10. Finish pasta with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

Recipes Tips

1. Generously Salt the Pasta Water – When preparing the pasta, salt 4 quarts of boiling water using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Once the water is boiling, stir in the kosher salt. Then add the pasta to cook. This ensures that the pasta and the pasta water are seasoned.
2. Reserve the Pasta Water – reserve some of the pasta water to thin the vodka sauce, if needed. Add the pasta water gradually as needed after combining the sauce and the pasta.
3. Room Temperature Burrata – take your burrata out of the fridge early to take the chill off. You don’t want to throw cold burrata right onto your hot pasta.
4. Use Enameled Cast Iron or Non-Stick Pan – The prosciutto is fairly lean and can stick to stainless steel. If you have an enameled or nonstick pan, it makes cooking the prosciutto easier.

Strained Tomatoes aka Passata

Look for strained tomatoes as pictured above, also called Passata (the Italian term). They are uncooked tomatoes that are blended smooth without skins or seeds. They have a fresh flavor and a smooth texture. Combined with the heavy cream and vodka, they make a smooth, velvety sauce. You can find them in either cardboard cartons or glass containers.

Burrata

When you are shopping for the burrata, it can come in one 8oz ball or two 4oz balls. Either one works in this recipe. When serving the pasta, you can add the burrata to the pan as shown in the pictures, or you can divide the burrata balls and serve them individually on each serving of pasta.

More Pasta Recipes to Try

• One-Pot “Marry Me” Chicken Pasta
• One-Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
• Cheesy “No Boil” Baked Stuffed Shells