Cook The pastaFirst, add 2 ½ cups of water, salt, and the pasta to the Instant Pot’s inner pot.

Next, stir gently and place the lid on with the vent knob turned to the sealing position.

Once in place, select “pressure cook” on high for 4 minutes.

When the cooking cycle is complete, do a quick pressure release immediately. 

When you remove the lid, make sure to save a ½ cup of water and then carefully pour the cooked pasta into a colander to drain any remaining water left in the pot. 

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, then you can:

First, cook pasta according to directions on the package, adding 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Once cooked, make sure to reserve ½ cup of the pasta water for later use in the sauce.

Make the sauceWhen you are ready to make the sauce, follow these steps:

First, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and then add shallots or onions and sauté until they start to change color.

Next, add in garlic and sauté for a minute or until it becomes fragrant.

Once the garlic is ready, add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next, add in vodka and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add in the heavy cream along with red chili flakes, salt to taste, and pepper and then stir until smooth.

Add the cheese and some reserved pasta water if needed and then cook for a minute.

Finally, stir in pasta and butter and garnish with fresh parsley once the garlic has melted. 

Serve it with some garlic bread, rolls, or breadsticks.

Pasta Recipe without Vodka If you prefer, you can use lime or lemon juice to give that acidic flavor that vodka provides. Otherwise, you can keep it a creamy red sauce if you just skip the vodka all together with no substitute.