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Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce

February 1, 2017 13 Comments

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This Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce is a delicious pasta dish made with tomatoes, cashew cream, and vodka for a simple yet decadent meal. #vegan #veganrecipes #pasta #romanticrecpes #veganvalentines

This Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce is a delicious pasta dish made with tomatoes, cashew cream, and vodka for a simple yet decadent meal.

Vegan Vodka Sauce

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Wow! We just worked our way through a 30 day cleanse covering 12 new clean-eating recipes, plus 30 more recipes in my FREE ebook.

How did you all do?

Now that we are all blissed out on our awesome, healthy starts to 2017, it is time to make a dramatic shift. We are going from gluten-free, sugar-free, healthy and wholesome to decadent and indulgent as we turn towards the holiday of love: Valentine’s Day. And how are we going to kick of these next two weeks of Valentine’s Day extravagance? With one of my favorite recipes of all time – this vegan Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce. 
Vegan Vodka SauceVegan Vodka SauceVegan Vodka Sauce

Like many other foods, Penne alla Vodka is a meal I never ate before going vegan.

I hadn’t even considered it until about a year ago. Then last year I started experimenting with pasta sauces as pasta is one of the only foods my kids will eat without a fight. For that reason I’ve gotten skilled at sneaking healthy foods and proteins into their sauces. See: Creamy Vegan Alfredo and Secretly Healthy Vegan Mac n’ Cheese. But that’s a different story. In all the pasta sauce experimenting I’ve been doing, I started getting curious about Penne alla Vodka. Specifically, what is it? And, what’s the significance of the vodka?

Penne alla Vodka is a penne pasta made with a tomato cream sauce.

The dish has unclear origins with disputes about where and when it was invented. It became popular in the United States, however, in the 1980s. Why vodka? The vodka gives the dish a bit of a fresh sharpness that brings out the flavors of the tomatoes and cream in a unique and perfect bite leaving no boozy aftertaste or bitterness, like other alcohols can sometimes do.

In sum: a delicious, creamy, perfectly flavored romantic pasta dish.

Vegan Vodka Sauce

You are going to love this Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce.

It is incredibly quick to throw together (especially if you already have the cashew cream prepared) yet it makes for a totally decadent and indulgent meal that will certainly impress your loved ones. Creamy, sweet, and with a bit of a bite, this vegan Penne Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce is the perfect romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Vegan Vodka Sauce

Vegan Penne with Vegan Vodka Sauce

This Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce is a delicious pasta dish made with tomatoes, cashew cream, and vodka for a simple yet decadent meal.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
5 from 1 vote
Vegan Penne Pasta
Print
Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Vegan Vodka Sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 320 kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn
Ingredients
Vodka Cream Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 1/2 small white onion
, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup good-quality vodka
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Everything else
  • 1/2 lb penne pasta
  • fresh basil, for garnish
  • vegan parmesan
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Cook penne pasta according to packaged directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  2. Drain and rinse the cashews. Combine cashews with 1/2 cup water in a high-powered blender like a VitaMix. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
  3. While pasta is cooking, heat butter in a large pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium heat until onions are translucent and fragrant.
  4. Add tomatoes, cashew cream, and vodka and cook for another 7 minutes at a low simmer, stirring occasionally. Flavor with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
  5. Stir in cooked penne pasta. Serve with vegan parmesan and fresh basil.
Recipe Notes

Make sure to cook the vodka in the sauce for at least 7 minutes to burn off most the alcohol.

Nutrition Facts
Vegan Penne with Vegan Vodka Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 320 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 193mg8%
Potassium 386mg11%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 385IU8%
Vitamin C 10.7mg13%
Calcium 52mg5%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan.

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Comments

  1. Colton says

    May 26, 2019 at 1:06 PM

    5 stars
    My partner and I made this for our first Christmas together and absolutely loved it. Thank you for the recipe, this is one for the books!

    Reply
  2. Rose says

    February 27, 2019 at 1:11 PM

    Were are allergic to cashews so just uses almonds. It worked. A very good sauce thank you

    Reply
  3. Kinty says

    November 20, 2018 at 3:37 PM

    How long will this sauce keep if made ahead?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      November 21, 2018 at 9:54 AM

      It should keep about 7 days in the refrigerator.

      Reply
  4. Pam says

    March 1, 2018 at 11:19 PM

    5 stars
    This was just wonderful, the whole family loved it. I tossed in a good handful of peas in as well. I’ll make ahain!

    Reply
  5. PJ says

    February 16, 2018 at 9:12 AM

    5 stars
    This recipe helped make the most romantic evening for me and my Valentine! Thank you so much for going the extra mile to make such an amazing recipe. I also nailed the vegan chocolate chip cookie! I’ll time it perfectly next time to serve immediately.

    Thank you very much.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 18, 2018 at 11:22 AM

      Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    • Kelly says

      March 24, 2019 at 4:57 PM

      Realized I had no dairy, but really wanted vodka pasta! I tried this tonight and it was SO GOOD. Loved it! 5 STARS

      Reply
  6. Linda says

    February 13, 2018 at 7:58 AM

    Hi

    I currently use Victoria Vegan Vodka Sauce. It is so good but I was hoping that a recipe like this would come along so I can make it myself. One question, do you use raw cashews or will any unsalted cashews work? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 13, 2018 at 8:19 AM

      I didn’t know about Victoria Vegan Vodka Sauce! That’s cool. For this recipe you should definitely use raw cashews.

      Reply
  7. Joanne McGrath says

    February 7, 2018 at 5:43 PM

    5 stars
    This was soooooo delicious and simple! My husband and son gave it an A+. No one would know it was vegan.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 8, 2018 at 2:05 PM

      I’m so glad it was a hit. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  8. Anton Rukaj says

    September 5, 2017 at 7:34 PM

    I just love the way it is cooked. But I wondered why vodka. Now i got the answer why it is used. Still I need to do a bit more research whether to use Extra virgin olive oil or olive oil

    Reply

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