Penne Alla Vodka Grilled Cheese
Praise Cheezus! Behold the grilled cheese of your dreams. Classic penne alla vodka, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil make for a magic mouthful of cheesy goodness. Don’t forget to reserve some of the vodka sauce for dipping.
Total Time
41 minutes
41 min
Prep Time
15 minutes
15 min
Cook Time
26 minutes
26 min
Total Time
41 minutes
41 min
Prep Time
15 minutes
15 min
Cook Time
26 minutes
26 min
Ingredients
for 2 sandwiches
Penne Alla Vodka
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1 cup dried penne pasta (200 g)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup white onion (40 g), finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons vodka
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce (75 g)
- ½ cup heavy cream (120 mL)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (60 g)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- 4 sourdough breads, wide slices
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 10 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (295 g), torn
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaf (10 g), thinly sliced
Preparation
- Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook for 7–8 minutes, until the pasta is mostly cooked but still has a raw bite to it. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the penne and set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil together in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is bubbling. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and sauté for 2–3 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally to prevent browning, until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 4–6 minutes, until the tomato paste is slightly thickened and darker in color. Deglaze the pan with the vodka, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce and heavy cream until well combined. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted, 1 minute.
- Add ⅓ cup of the reserved pasta water and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Transfer about ⅔ cup of the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
- Fold the penne into the remaining sauce and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and well coated in the sauce. If the sauce looks dry at all, add a couple more tablespoons of pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Make the grilled cheese sandwiches: Spread 1–2 tablespoons of softened butter over one side of each slice of bread.
- Place a slice of bread, buttered side down, in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Top with 2 ounces of torn mozzarella, half of the penne alla vodka, another ounce of mozzarella, half of the basil, 2 more ounces of mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved vodka sauce. Top with a second slice of bread, buttered side up. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until the cheese is melting and the bottom of the bread is golden brown. Flip and cook for 2–3 minutes more, until the cheese is fully melted and the second side is golden brown. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make another sandwich.
- Serve the grilled cheese hot with the reserved vodka sauce alongside for dipping.
- Enjoy!
- Meal planning made easy with the Tasty app. Download now to see exclusive curated meal plans.
