I tried Ina Garten’s penne alla vodka, and it’s one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever made

• I love making Ina Garten’s pasta dishes, so I had to try her penne alla vodka recipe.
• Garten roasts her pasta sauce in the oven, infusing the dish with so much flavor.
• The dish looked beautiful, and it was one of the most delicious pastas I’ve ever made.

I’ve been cooking my way through Ina Garten’s pasta recipes, whipping up a dozen from her 13 cookbooks.

I like to try a new one every month or so, and as I searched for a comforting winter dish, I stumbled on Garten’s penne alla vodka.

The dish was inspired by one of Garten’s favorite dishes, the Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola from Nick & Toni’s, a restaurant in East Hampton. Now, the recipe has a permanent spot on Garten’s Barefoot Contessa website, so I knew I had to try it.

Here’s how it all went down.