Donal's Family Kitchen30 Minutes

Vodka Penne Pork Ragu

Name: Vodka Penne Pork Ragu
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; Chilli flakes; 550g pork and fennel sausages removed from skin; 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 4 tbsp vodka; 1 x 400g tin finely chopped tomatoes; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 250ml double cream; 350g penne pasta; 25g Parmesan, finely grated; Large handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

30 min totalServes 4Easy

Time30 min

Serves4

SkillEasy

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the sausage and using a wooden spoon break it up into smaller pieces, fry for 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Add the fennel seeds to this along with the garlic.

Add the vodka followed by the tomatoes, tomato purée, give it a mix and then add the cream, stir to combine. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has reduced a little. Season to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Season once boiled, add the penne. Cook according to packed instructions. Once the pasta has cooked, stir it through the sauce. Serve in bowls topped with the Parmesan, parsley, and black pepper.

Cook's notes

Let the sausages come to room temperature before you squeeze the meat from the casings — it's easier to handle and browns better in the pan.
Crush the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar, or blitz them in a food processor — just don't use a coffee grinder unless you fancy fennel-flavoured coffee.
Take your time browning the sausage meat before the fennel and garlic go in — that golden colour is what makes the difference — then let the aromatics fry until fragrant.
The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon, and that's your moment to season; between the sausages and the Parmesan there's already a fair bit of salt in play.
Hold back a mugful of the starchy pasta water and loosen the sauce with a splash when you toss the penne through — it helps everything cling.

Serve with It's rich enough to stand alone with just the Parmesan and parsley, but a sharp green salad with a lemony dressing or some garlicky greens cuts through nicely. A glass of chilled red or a light Italian white does the trick.

Make ahead & storage The sauce keeps in the fridge for up to three days and reheats gently with a splash of water or milk to loosen it. Cook the pasta fresh rather than storing it already sauced, and the ragù also freezes well for up to three months.

30 Minutes

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

1088kcal

39gprotein

82gcarbs

65gfat

Approximate — calculated from the ingredient list using USDA food data. A guide, not a medical figure.

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