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Home » Main Course » Penne with Vodka Sauce

Published: Jan 15, 2013 · Modified: Sep 9, 2019 by Lisa Johnson

Penne with Vodka Sauce

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a white bowl filled with tubed pasta and covered with grated parmesan cheese

I do not know why I keep asking my son for dinner ideas, he always says the same thing “pasta”! I could not bring myself to make boring old spaghetti again, I wanted something different. I had heard of pasta with a creamy vodka sauce but never tried it because of the heavy cream. My new trick is to substitute coconut milk whenever you would usually use cream, so I decided to give it Penne with Vodka Sauce a try…..

a white bowl filled with tubed pasta and covered with grated parmesan cheese

It worked, no coconut taste…yeah! Sometimes recipes that have a large amount of “cream” will end up with a coconut taste, but it worked perfectly.

How to make Penne with Vodka Sauce:

Heat oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and tomato paste, cook for 5 minutes until onion softens.

Stir in  the garlic and cayenne pepper.

Pour in the tomatoes and vodka and bring almost to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the coconut milk and cook for 1 minute.

Add cooked penne, stir and cook for 2 minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce. If sauce is too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water.

Stir in the basil and serve immediately. Garnish with Parmesan if desired.

tomato pasta covered with parmesan cheese in a small white bowl sitting on a dark green napkin

When my son came home he immediately starting teasing me about the house smelling like garlic, and it only has 3 cloves. Just wait until he gets home tonight, fish with 12 cloves of garlic. I think we are definitely safe from vampires. I will post the Sole with Caramelized Garlic recipe on Thursday, I loved it! We’ll see what Alex thinks of it when he gets home…he loved it too!!

More delicious pasta recipes:

Pasta al Tonno

Greek Yogurt-Herb Pasta

Pasta for a Crowd – my son’s favorite!

Lemon Asparagus Pasta

Fusilli al Pomodoro

Linguine all Carbonara

Enjoy!!

a white bowl filled with tubed pasta and covered with grated parmesan cheese

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Penne with Vodka Sauce is easy to make, delicious and perfect any night of the week!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: creamy tomato vodka sauce coats penne pasta
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 456kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more if you like more heat
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes canned
  • 1 cup pureed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup vodka
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk the kind in a can
  • 1 pound penne pasta cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese to garnish - optional

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion and tomato paste, cook for 5 minutes until onion softens.
  • Stir in the garlic and cayenne pepper.
  • Add the tomatoes and vodka and bring almost to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Pour in the coconut milk and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add cooked penne, stir and cook for 2 minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce. If sauce is too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water.
  • Stir in the basil and serve immediately. Garnish with Parmesan if desired

Notes

  • Do not use generic/cheap vodka, it has a bitter taste when it is used in cooking.
  • This dish is dairy-free if you do not add the Parmesan cheese!

Nutrition

Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 497mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 9.8mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3.2mg
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Comments

  1. Colette O'C says

    September 22, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    Wow, what a fantastic recipe! I just made this tonight for myself and the hubby and I could tell he really liked it!!! Sometimes we try to eat vegan (just to be healthier) and this recipe is going on the top of the ‘list’. Who knew you could use coconut milk in Vodka sauce?! Thanks for sharing!

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Hi, I'm Lisa - Welcome to my kitchen! I have a passion for good food and love sharing my creations with friends, family and everyone that loves a homecooked meal. This is where I share my favorite recipes with step-by-step instructions as well as tips and tricks to help you make these delicious recipes in your home.

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