Penne alla Vodka [GF, DF, SF]
A Nod to My Sister's Penne alla Vodka Recipe
My sister has one of THE BEST Penne alla Vodka recipes around. It's a 'lick the bowl clean' kind of awesome. And a dish so good, I never dared to order it at a restaurant because it always paled in comparison. That creamy pink sauce of hers is...was....divine!
These days, however, I'm kickin it dairy free. But that doesn't mean I still can't enjoy Penne alla Vodka. I love taking old recipes and recreating them with a new twist.
And to be honest, this recipe wasn't that hard to recreate. The sauce contains minimal ingredients - it's a mixture of tomatoes, heavy cream, red pepper flakes and of course, vodka.
So the only thing I needed to make a swap for was the dairy. Seems easy enough!
And since I've cut dairy out of my kitchen for quite some time now, I've learned a thing or two about the awesome alternatives. There's plenty of options! You've got cashews - which work like a charm but don't always work for people with a nut allergy. Cauliflower, which is really great in soups but a little thick for what I was going for. And coconut milk, but can add a different taste.
I opted to try the cashews - since they never let me down.
Could I Recreate My Sister's Magic?
In the kitchen I went to try to recreate the magic. I really wanted it to taste and look just like hers - creamy, spicy and with that same beautiful pinkish hue. I soaked my cashews for 2 hours ahead of time so they were nice and plump. You could also boil them for 10-15 minutes if you forget to soak. And then made the red sauce base. When it came to add the cream, I blended up the cashews and poured in the goodness.
And guess what? It tasted and looked just. like. hers. And the best part, I only needed to make one swap - cashews for heavy cream. That was it!
But What About the Pasta, You Ask?
Oh that's another easy swap. For all my pasta recipes (like my Cacio e Pepe), I use brown rice pasta from Jovial. For me there is no other, Jovial Foods for the win, always. If you prefer you can use a grain free pasta made of legumes but I really enjoy the taste and texture of the brown rice.
Penne Alla Vodka
Ingredients
- 1 box brown rice penne pasta, Jovial
- 2 16oz jars crushed tomatoes, Jovial
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- Drizzle EVOO
- 1 cup cashews, presoaked for 2 hours
- ¼ - ½ cup vodka
Get the Goods
**Be sure to presoak your cashews 2 hours before cooking.
- In a large pot, add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, bay leaf, fresh basil, white pepper and olive oil
- Simmer on medium heat to bring flavors together
- Remove one cup of sauce. Pour into a high speed blender, to be used shortly
- Add the vodka to the sauce in the pot and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, rinse your cashews and add them to the blender (with the sauce)
- Blend on high until smooth and creamy
- Begin making your pasta
- Once the sauce has simmered long enough to burn off some of the alcohol (about 20 minutes, do a taste test to see), you can add the cashew cream from the blender. I usually add this at the end of cooking and then let it everything simmer just a few more minutes
- Again, do a taste test of your sauce and season to your liking
- Pour over your penne and garnish with more basil if desired
- Serve with gluten free sourdough bread from Bread Srsly
- Eat well to live well! Buon appetito!
Notes
- Forgot to soak cashews: no problem, boil for 10-15 minutes
- Make it spicy: use the full amount of red pepper flakes (½ tsp)
- Make it sweet: I don't like my sauce sweet, but if you do, add a natural sweetener like maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar to get the job done
- Gluten free bread: I serve it with sourdough bread from Bread Srsly
- Making ahead for a party? Bring your sauce in a separate container and pour over pasta right before serving
DO TELL...Have you ever used cashews to replace dairy in a dish before?!
This recipe was created by Jessica Yeager, CNE <–click the link and come hang out on FB with me!
Or tag me on the gram with #jessicayeagercne if you make this recipe! I LOVE seeing your creations <3
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