Healthy Penne Alla Vodka
This healthy penne alla vodka is made with extra protein using creamy blended cottage cheese. The sauce is delicious and so easy to make!
Servings: 6 1.5 cup servings
Calories: 433kcal
Ingredients
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup cottage cheese we recommend 4% milkfat
- 1 pound dry penne pasta you can also use rigatoni, ziti, cavatelli, etc
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoons vodka or ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves or ¼ cup of fresh chopped basil
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for your penne pasta.
- While the water is coming to a boil, blend tomatoes and cottage cheese on high for 30 seconds or until smooth. This should result in a smooth, creamy pink sauce. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to a saute pan and preheat over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- While the pan is heating up, finely chop onions and garlic.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute on medium low heat for 3-5 minutes or until softened and translucent.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vodka to the onions and garlic and cook down until the smell of alcohol has dissipated, about 5 minutes.
- Add your tomato/cheese mixture, salt, pepper, and basil to the pot. Stir together and simmer on medium heat.
- While the sauce is simmering, add your penne pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, review the instructions on the back of your box of pasta.
- Important: While pasta cooks, reserve ¼ cup of pasta water before draining
- Once cooked, drain your pasta and add to the sauce.
- Remove the pan of sauce from the heat. Add parmesan cheese and reserved pasta water, stirring together until a smooth sauce forms and your pasta is coated.
- You can serve with cooked chicken, sausage, or shrimp for added protein.
Video
Notes
Make sure your pasta is cooked al dente, this allows the pasta to absorb some of the sauce and flavor while not getting mushy.
Reserving pasta water and adding to our sauce helps build a nice creamy texture from the use of the starchy pasta water.
Add a few extra garlic cloves for some added garlicky flavor.
Swap the whole wheat pasta and semolina pasta for gluten-free pasta if needed.
Storage: You can store this recipe for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cup serving | Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 491mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 417IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 3mg
