There are some pasta dishes where technique matters more than a long ingredient list, and penne alla vodka is one of them.

This version is creamy, tomato-forward and surprisingly simple. The secret isn’t adding more cream or cheese. It’s cooking the tomato paste until it becomes deep brick red, using plenty of salted pasta water, and—most importantly—not overcooking your pasta.

If there’s one thing I learned cooking professionally, it’s this: pasta should have texture. We’re going to pull the rigatoni from the water before it’s completely cooked and finish it directly in the vodka sauce. That last minute or two makes all the difference.

Creamy Penne alla Vodka

Serves: 4
Time: 30–35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne (also great with rigatoni)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion or 2 large shallots, very finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole, lightly crushed
• ½ cup tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
• ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup vodka
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1–1½ cups reserved pasta water
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh basil, optional

1. Salt your pasta water

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously.

This is important. The pasta itself needs to be seasoned from the inside, and the salted, starchy cooking water will eventually become part of your sauce.

Add the rigatoni and cook it for about 2 minutes LESS than the package’s al dente cooking time.

Do not cook it until completely tender. The pasta is going to continue cooking in the vodka sauce, and that’s exactly what we want.

Before draining, reserve at least 1½ cups of pasta water.

2. Build the flavor base

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.

Add the onion and a small pinch of salt. Cook for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft and translucent but not heavily browned.

Add the whole, lightly crushed garlic cloves and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1 minute to perfume the oil.

Keeping the garlic whole gives the sauce a gentler garlic flavor and makes it less likely to burn during the next step.

3. Caramelize the tomato paste

Add the tomato paste.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5–7 minutes.

Don’t rush this step.

The tomato paste should change from bright red to a much deeper rusty brick-red color and begin caramelizing against the bottom of the pan.

This is where a huge amount of the flavor develops.

4. Deglaze with vodka

Add the vodka and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of those caramelized tomato bits.

Let it bubble for about 1–2 minutes, until the sharp alcohol aroma mellows.

At this point, you can remove the whole garlic cloves.

5. Make the sauce creamy

Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the heavy cream.

Add about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and stir until the sauce becomes smooth, creamy and orange-red.

Avoid aggressively boiling the sauce once you’ve added the cream. We’re looking for silky and emulsified, not separated.

6. Finish the penne IN the sauce

This is probably the most important step.

Add your undercooked penne directly to the vodka sauce.

Pour in another ¼ cup of pasta water and cook over medium-low heat for about 1–2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly.

The penne finishes cooking while simultaneously absorbing some of the sauce. Meanwhile, the starch in the pasta water helps the fat, tomato and liquid come together into that glossy restaurant-style coating.

Taste a piece.

You want the pasta al dente—with a definite bite in the center, not soft or mushy.

Turn the heat to low or completely off and gradually toss in about ½ cup Parmesan.

Add additional pasta water, a splash at a time, as needed. Don’t be afraid of it. The sauce should be silky and loose enough to coat every ridge and work its way inside the penne.

Remember that the sauce will continue to thicken as it sits.

Taste and adjust with salt, freshly ground black pepper and additional red pepper flakes if desired.

Serve immediately with the remaining Parmesan and fresh basil.

Chef Joanna’s Tips for Better Vodka Pasta

Salt the pasta water. Pasta water isn’t just for boiling pasta—it’s an ingredient in the finished dish. Season it accordingly.

Keep the garlic whole. Lightly crushing whole cloves perfumes the sauce without making garlic the dominant flavor, and you can easily remove them before serving.

Don’t overcook your rigatoni. Pull it approximately two minutes before it’s done and finish cooking it in the sauce. You want a real al dente bite.

Cook your tomato paste. If it’s still bright red, keep going. Those extra few minutes of caramelization create a deeper, richer tomato flavor.

Save more pasta water than you think you’ll need. Starchy pasta water is one of the easiest ways to turn a heavy cream sauce into a glossy, cohesive pasta sauce.

Choose good rigatoni. For a dish this simple, pasta quality makes a difference. Look for durum wheat semolina pasta with a rough surface, ideally bronze-die cut (trafilata al bronzo). If you specifically want pasta made from Italian-grown wheat, look for “100% Italian durum wheat” rather than assuming “Made in Italy” means the wheat was grown there.

The goal here isn’t a bowl of rigatoni swimming in cream. It’s pasta with some bite, coated in a silky tomato-vodka sauce that catches in every ridge and makes you want the next forkful.

Get more tips on Instagram @chefjoannas

A protein-packed vegan meal prep recipe with creamy coconut curry, sweet potatoes, kale and one tofu trick I wish I’d tried sooner.

I made this coconut tofu curry for meal prep this week and tried something I had never done before: I boiled the tofu in salted water before adding it to the curry.

And I’m into it.

It sounds like an unnecessary extra step, but it only takes a few minutes. The hot salted water seasons the tofu before it ever hits the curry, so you’re not relying entirely on the sauce to give an otherwise bland block of tofu some personality.

Then everything goes into this creamy coconut curry with sweet potato, kale, ginger, garlic and red curry paste. The fat from the coconut milk works especially well with the curry paste and spices, creating a sauce that tastes even better after everything has had some time to hang out together.

Which brings me to the other reason I love this recipe: it’s really good for meal prep.

Make a pot, add brown or white rice and some steamed broccoli, and you have a filling plant-based lunch ready to go for several days.

Easy Thai-Inspired Tofu Curry

Serves: 4–6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (14–16 oz) block extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt, for the tofu water
• 1–2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral cooking oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
• 1–2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into small cubes
• 1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 3–4 cups chopped kale, tough stems removed
• ¼–½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt, to taste

For serving:

• Cooked brown or white rice
• Steamed broccoli
• Extra cilantro, optional

Instructions

1. Boil the tofu

Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Add the cubed tofu and gently boil for about 3–5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Chef Joanna Tip: This was my first time boiling tofu in salted water before adding it to a curry, and I loved the result. It gives the tofu a chance to get seasoned before it goes into the sauce rather than hoping it absorbs all its flavor later.

2. Build your curry base

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion and cook for about 3–4 minutes, until it begins to soften.

Add the garlic, ginger and 1–2 teaspoons red curry paste and sauté for another minute or so, stirring constantly.

You want to cook the curry paste in the oil rather than immediately drowning it in liquid. This helps wake up all those flavors.

3. Add the sweet potato

Stir in the curry powder and cubed sweet potato.

Add the coconut milk and approximately 2 cups vegetable broth. Stir everything together and bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Simmer

Partially cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

Give it a stir every once in a while and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

5. Add the tofu and greens

Add the drained tofu and chopped kale.

Gently stir and cook for another 3–5 minutes, until the tofu is warmed through and the kale has wilted into the curry.

Taste and season with additional salt or curry paste if needed.

Turn off the heat and stir in a generous handful of fresh cilantro.

6. Meal prep it

Divide cooked rice among your meal-prep containers and spoon the tofu coconut curry alongside it.

I added steamed broccoli at the end for even more green veggies without making the curry itself too crowded.

Let everything cool before covering and refrigerating.

Why This Tofu Curry Is So Good for Meal Prep

This is one of those recipes that may actually be better the next day.

As it sits, the coconut milk, red curry paste, ginger, garlic and spices have more time to come together. The tofu hangs out in all that curry sauce, and the whole thing becomes more flavorful.

Plus, one container gives you a pretty complete plant-based meal: tofu for protein, sweet potato and rice for carbohydrates, coconut milk for richness and fat, and kale and broccoli for plenty of vegetables.

And it doesn’t taste like sad meal-prep food.

That’s important.

Can You Adjust the Spice?

Absolutely.

If you’re cooking for kids or someone who doesn’t love spicy food, start with 1 teaspoon of red curry paste. You can always add more.

Different brands of Thai curry paste also vary quite a bit in heat, so taste as you go.

Chef Joanna’s Meal Prep Tip

Keep a little extra vegetable broth around when reheating this.

The curry will naturally thicken in the refrigerator as the tofu and vegetables sit in the sauce. If it gets thicker than you’d like, add a splash of broth before reheating and give it a stir.

Suddenly it’s creamy and saucy again.

The Big Takeaway

If tofu usually feels a little boring to you, try boiling it in salted water first.

Then put it in a creamy coconut curry with ginger, garlic, sweet potato and greens and let it sit overnight.

This is the kind of vegan meal prep that makes me actually look forward to opening the refrigerator tomorrow.

Make it once. Eat well all week.

I made this tri-tip for the first time recently and it came out really good—and might be one of my new favorite proteins for meal prep.

The whole thing took about an hour, but one roast makes several meals for the week. I actually made two tri-tips (about 4 pounds total) and just doubled the spice rub.

My favorite part is definitely the spice rub. It’s savory, garlicky and peppery with just a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar. It gives the meat so much flavor that you really don’t need a sauce.

And if you’ve never cooked tri-tip before, it’s easier than it looks. Give it a quick sear, cover it in that delicious spice rub, and finish it in the oven. Grab a meat thermometer and you really can’t go wrong.

Easy Oven-Roasted Tri-Tip

Serves: 4–6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35–45 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 tri-tip roast, about 2–2½ pounds
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (salted or unsalted)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional*

For underneath the roast:

• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 4–5 garlic cloves

The crushed red pepper can make this pretty spicy for kids. Either leave it out completely or cut it down to ½ teaspoon.

Making two tri-tips? I made about 4 pounds total and simply doubled the spice mixture.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Place a roasting rack or grill rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Roughly chop the onion, carrots and celery and scatter them underneath with the garlic.

No need for perfect knife cuts here. These are just going underneath the beef to add some extra flavor while everything roasts.

2. Sear the tri-tip

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.

Place the tri-tip directly into the dry pan with no oil and sear until you get a nice golden-brown crust, about 3–4 minutes per side.

Try not to move it around while it’s searing. Let it sit and develop that crust.

Transfer the seared tri-tip to your prepared roasting rack.

3. Make the spice rub

In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, rosemary, kosher salt, brown sugar and crushed red pepper, if using.

Stir in the melted butter to make a thick, spreadable spice mixture.

4. Rub it all over

Spoon the spice mixture over the seared tri-tip and use the back of the spoon or your hands to spread it generously over the meat.

Don’t be shy here. That crust is the best part.

5. Roast

Place the tri-tip on the middle rack of your 425°F oven and roast for approximately 30–45 minutes, depending on its size and thickness.

Start checking the temperature around 30 minutes.

For medium-rare, remove the tri-tip when the thickest part reaches about 130–135°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Don’t stress too much about the exact cooking time—the thermometer is much more reliable.

6. Rest before slicing

Remove the tri-tip from the oven and let it rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting into it.

I know you’re hungry. Wait anyway.

Resting gives those juices a chance to settle back into the meat instead of running all over your cutting board.

7. Slice against the grain

Here’s probably the most important chef tip in this recipe:

Slice your tri-tip thinly AGAINST the grain.

Tri-tip is a little unusual because the direction of the grain changes throughout the roast. Look at the direction of the muscle fibers and cut across them rather than alongside them.

This makes your tri-tip much more tender and easier to eat.

Chef Joanna’s Meal Prep Tip

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love for meal prep because you’re doing the work once and getting several different meals out of it.

Make the tri-tip on Sunday and use it throughout the week for:

• Tri-tip + roasted vegetables + potatoes
• Rice bowls with veggies and avocado
• Steak salads
• Easy tri-tip tacos
• Beef and quinoa bowls
• Eggs + sliced tri-tip for breakfast

You can change everything around it so you don’t feel like you’re eating the exact same dinner five nights in a row.

One protein. Lots of possibilities.

That’s meal prep I can actually get behind.

I’ve been a personal chef for over 10 years and I’ve learned that many people love that salty sweet flavor combo. This dish started as a request and became one of my go-to signature dishes.

It’s easy to put together, all in one pan. It’s just some flour, honey, garlic and soy sauce. And I love that you don’t have to cut the chicken if you buy chicken tenders.

I love to make this in a nonstick pan because the honey doesn’t burn as easy. And I like using a lid so the steam can cook the chicken through well.

I hope this becomes a family favorite and go-to dish for you. I serve it with steamed rice or mashed potatoes and either broccoli or asparagus for a full meal.

You can see the full how-to on my instagram page. Link at the bottom of this post.

Thanks for visiting!

Recipe adapted from Little Sunny Kitchen

Honey Glazed Chicken Tenders

•  ¼ cup (30g) all purpose flour or  gluten free flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ pounds (650g) chicken tenderloins they’re called mini chicken fillets in the UK
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Sauce:

• ¼ cup water
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce tamari sauce for gluten free
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Make the sauce first and set aside. Just mix all ingredients together.

2. In a shallow dish or bowl combine the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour mixture, and shake off any excess.

3. In a skillet, preferable nonstick with lid, over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then work in 2 batches and cook the chicken tenders on both sides until a golden brown crust forms (2-3 minutes per side) the chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C. Remove onto a plate.

3. Melt the rest of the butter, and cook the remaining chicken tenders. Deglaze the pan by adding the sauce, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow the liquid to reduce for 1-2 minutes .

4. Add the chicken back to the pan with sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes so the sauce is heated up and starts to thicken, and flip it so it’s all covered in sauce.

If you want to make a fancy dinner party for people who love fish this is it! You can literally make this fish in 20 minutes and it’s so tasty.

I made it with seabass but because the sauce is so good it would be great with lower cost fish like halibut or cod.

The basic gist is make a miso glaze, marinate for 10 minutes and then broil the fish for 5-7 minutes to cook it. That’s it! Fast, easy and flavorful!

Here’s my shorthand recipe

Miso glazed seabass

1.5lbs seabass, cod, halibut or salmon

⅓ c miso (red)

1/3c mirin plus a little more

¼ cup brown sugar 

Directions:

1. Mix miso, mirin and brown sugar together in a bowl or baking dish. Place fish in and coat. Put in fridge for 10-15 minutes.

2. Set oven to broil. Place a nonstick foil sheet on baking tray. After the fish is done marinating, place fish on foil. Broil at the top of the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the fish flakes easily and there are some signs or slight char on the fish. Don’t overcook and don’t walk away when broiling since it can burn easily.

3. Serve with rice and broccolini or asparagus and extra sauce from cooking if desired. Cilantro would be nice too.